And the Pain Ends
by cuddlepuff
Summary: Taku a weird girl with light blue hair and purple eyes, leaves the world she know one fated night to become a part of the world she had always longed for. There she finds the perfect man in the form none of us would ever suspect. Chouji. Abuse, MF, OC, P


Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own naruto but do own all characters that weren't mentioned in that show. Also song lyrics are not mine but the movie song of the ninja is. What's mine is mine, what's their's is their's, give credit where credit is due

AUTHOR: darkangelthefallen

A/N :It mentions abuse but just so everyone knows I don't go into detail about this, it's just an implied fact more than not though it is openly admited in the story. I wrote this story to give credit to one of the character's with the biggest heart that is mostly over looked. How is it possible to overlook the boy that saved a butterfly from a spider's web? To fit Chouji I created a character with a heart just a big. Please enjoy the story 

Chapter 1: Leaving the old behind

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Suddenly, Taku's alarm goes off pulling her out of the world she cared for so much, the dream world where she was happy and living in her favorite anime. She let a single tear escape her eye as she turned off the alarm and rose to yet another day. She gathered her clothes for the day a black off the shoulder sweater a spaghetti strap shirt in light blue that she would wear over it a pair of light blue bicycle shorts and a short black skirt. She then headed for the bathroom and turned on the shower to the hottest temperature she could stand. Sliding under the cascade of water she checked herself for bruises from last nights beating. Luckily she only had one on your stomach and that could be easily explained away. As she stepped from the shower she slipped and fell flat on her butt and bit her thumb to keep from laughing at herself. Taku's stepfather was always still asleep at this time and she really didn't want to wake him.

After dressing herself she looked in the mirror and sighed if only there was something she could do with her hair. She put everything but her bangs up in her signature ponytail and walked on catlike feet back to her room still keeping silent in fear of waking her stepfather. Taku couldn't help but think she would make a decent spy she could be silent without even trying. Taku packed up her clean work uniform in her backpack and gathered the books that were still lying on her desk from her homework the night before. The last thing she grabbed as she walked out the door was her key. When she reached school she went straight to her locker and dumped her bag only taking out only the books she would need before next period. Taku's locker was the only place she showed any personality at all, pictures of her favorite anime's and the Japanese society were everywhere. Her stepfather hated the fact that she was 16 and still like watching cartoons like a baby as he put it.

Taku sighed and walked to class. She had been lucky enough to get in to the coveted creative writing class that Miss Urimachi held. She loved that class more than anything because it allowed her to write out her dreams and ambitions even if she knew she would never be able to achieve them. As Taku sat down the teacher stood up to announce the only project they had for today.

"Okay class, today we are going to be leaving our conscious mind behind and exploring our subconscious. I want you to write out the last dream you remember, no matter what it was about. Yes guys, that does include those special dreams you have and don't feel embarrassed about it every one has them. It's a normal occurrence and I would be completely shocked not to see at least two or three out of this class. After that I want you to write about how the dream made you feel, why you believe you had it, and if it is a reoccurring dream why you think it keeps coming back and what impression it leaves on you when you wake from it." Miss Urimachi smiled at us as she continued. "Okay class this will be turned in at the end of the hour and you may begin." It only took Taku fifteen minutes to finish the assignment so she went to the front and handed it to the teacher. It was so easy for her because the dream she had was so fresh in her mind and it came back at least once a month, whenever her step father got drunk, for the past two years, of course it was a little different every time but the characters and the setting was always the same. After reading through Taku's paper Miss Urimachi spoke, "Miss Westley can I see you in my office for a moment?"

Taku walked behind Miss Urimachi's desk and was ushered through an open door on the other side, once inside the door was shut so none of the other students would overhear the conversation that was going to take place. "Miss Westley, first of all I would like to say that your writing was very well put together and very detailed and you will receive an A on this but I would like to ask you a few questions. Is that alright with you?"  
Taku bent her head down and smiled, the cast of her favorite anime Naruto was helping her ace this class even if she couldn't do anything to help them. "Yes, ma'am."

"Now, I bet you didn't know this but even adults can watch anime and I know this show very well, I watch it every time it's on cartoon network. It seems that you connect with the shyest and most burdened characters of them all, can you explain this Lorraine?" You see her real name was Lorraine but everyone who talked to her outside of school called her Taku. She got the nick name because of how much she loved anime. She had even learned a little Japanese from watching it so much.

"I'm not really sure why." Taku looked down this time because of her embarrassment. She hated lying to her teacher, to anyone to be really truthful about it, she knew exactly why and it all started the day her mom died, two years ago.

Miss Urimachi sighed, she knew Taku was lying she could see it in Taku's eyes but she decided not to push the subject, because when you push the person your trying to help, more often than not, closes themselves off farther. "Another thing, I noticed you also answered the two reoccurring dream questions so how often does this dream come to you Taku?"

"It happens at least once a month." Taku looked at her shoes staring at the faded marks of dirt and the strained seams.

"Is there anything you know of that could trigger this? Reoccurring dreams often have a trigger during the day that sets them off." Miss Urimachi was searching her face looking for a sign, any kind of sign.

"I'm sure there is, I just can't think of anything." With that Miss Urimachi's questioning was completed. Taku slowly followed her out of her office and sat back down in the assigned seat to stare out the window and smiled at a pair of squirrels playing in the tree beside the window. The rest of the school day went by uneventfully, to Taku's relief.

After the three o'clock bell rang Taku headed straight for work. They didn't need help in the kitchen today so she was stuck waiting and bussing tables for the complete slobs who ate at this restaurant. "Hey Taku!" She looked up to see the only person that actually talked to at work, other than her boss of course.

"What's going on Jay? I thought you were off today." Taku smiled as he came closer.

"I am I just thought I would show my girlfriend what a dump I work in." Taku's smile held but her hopes instantly fell. 'So he has a girlfriend why am I so surprised, he is such a great guy.' Jay was Taku's first crush and she had finally found out why they call them crushes, they hurt like hell when you see them with someone else. Taku held her smile firmly in place until they left. Finally, at nine, quitting time came around and she turned over the restaurant to the clean up crew.

"Hey Taku," her boss called from the kitchen as she started out the door to head home to her stepfather's apartment, "Why don't you take home some of the cooks leftovers. You look like you need to gain some weight and without you back here watching him he made sure everything was extra fattening tonight." She remembered about the diet his wife had put him on but she also knew that wasn't the reason behind him giving her the free food. He wanted to help her out even if only in a small way.

"Thanks Hayes, I don't care what the other say about you being a slave driver, your just a big teddy bear." She began her journey back to the apartment with food in her hands a smile on her face and a deep laugh resounding behind her.

As she got home she went up to her room turned on the television. Then she opened the DVD tray and stuck in one of her many Naruto DVDs. As she was caught up in the show the skies turned dark and rain pelted the ground outside of her house. She hadn't even noticed the thunder and lighting outside the window because she was immersed in a world of her own imaginings, as the credits came on a flash of lightning streaked across a gray and black streaked sky.

"I should probably turn off the TV it only looks like the storm will get worse." As she reached down to push the off button a burst of lightning hit the power lines outside her house and electrocuted her in the process. She suddenly felt the sensation of thousands of the throwing needles Haku had used in the episode she was watching hitting her on all sides she couldn't move or breathe and then just as suddenly as the shock began it ended but was still left with the gut wrenching pain. She could swear as she started crawling toward her bed that she could see sparks flying from her finger tips that were sprawled out before her eyes. Two feet from her bed she collapsed hitting the floor hard and then something weird started happening to her body it slowly stared to fade almost like she had never been real only a hologram. By the light of morning the last of her presence had vanished from the world she knew as her home.

Chapter 2: Waking Realizations

Taku woke up in the same place she always did. Laying in the forest the birds singing all around her and feeling so at peace with herself she couldn't help but smile. "Ok now 5...4...3...2...1..." Suddenly, the sounds of training came from the forest on both sides of her. Right on schedule. So who should I visit this time Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, or Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji?" She turned to her right and started walking. The team didn't hear her approach so she crouched down in the bushes and watched. They were on the middle of training and obviously two of them were already exhausted but the last was eating a bag of chips while the others rested. Taku decided it was time to sneak up on him, because he was so distracted by his chip bag. Still hiding in the bushes she snuck around to the other side of the field and pounced out of the bushes right on top of her target roaring like a lion.

Ino who had her back turned started screaming at the top of her lungs, "Something has Chouji! Something has Chouji! Shikamaru why are you just sitting there I thought you were his best friend!"

Shikamaru just sighed and said, "How troublesome, turn around Ino its only Taku." He then went directly back to his cloud watching past time.

Ino turned around got an angry look on her face and sat down with a huff while Chouji was laughing at her. "Taku I am so happy to see you. You have never visited two days in a row before."

"I know but something strange happened to me, not the normal, but I just can't remember what it was." Ino looked at you with fury on her face, "I still think you're a liar Taku, how could a step father beat up on you when you are obviously stronger than most of the idiots here."

The innocence that was only found in the eyes of Taku and Naruto quickly disappeared as her eyes turned to a blank stare as she spoke, "Coming from the girl who is still in love with a boy whose older brother killed his whole clan, who obviously combined were stronger than Itachi. The only reason they are all dead is because they couldn't hurt a family member even if they had gone completely insane and was out to kill them. I feel the same about my stepfather since I remember what he was like before my mother died. He was kind and gentle and he really cared about me. Anyway, where I come from things don't work that way I'm not strong, I am not a fighter, and more than likely even Konahamaru could hurt me there. My only saving grace is that I am as silent there as I am here."

Chouji of course stepped straight up to Taku's rescue. "Ino why don't you go jump off that cliff over there, you have absolutely no right to call Taku a liar she told us where she came from when she could have lied to us so we wouldn't think she was insane and to spare us the fact that she could only visit us in her dreams."

Sensing the tension between the two Taku turned to Shikamaru, "So any good missions coming up?"

He looked up at you. "Nope, ever since we all became chunnin things have been slowing down a great deal. There is absolutely no a, b, or c ranked missions and hasn't been any for months so we spend our days training together keeping our skills sharp. Training is over for today though in honor of your visit." You smiled and game Shikamaru a hug.

"Thanks," Then Taku turned her attention back to the argument between Chouji and Ino. "Hey Chouji, you guys have the rest of the day off so why don't we head over to your house so I can introduce you guys to pizza." While saying this you grabbed the last chip out of his bag broke it in half and fed part of it to Chouji while popping the other half in her mouth. "Mmmmm, barbeque, my favorite." Chouji grabbed Ino's arm instantly to drag her. Taku started to giggle because she had never seen him run so fast in his life. "In fact lets invite everyone you guys went to the academy with and make a party out of it."

An hour later Taku took out the first of the pizzas from the oven. She had decided to do simple pepperoni for everybody's first time trying it. Before they had even got a look at the three she pulled out (obviously Chouji has a large oven) Taku put the next three in and had another three finished and waiting to be cooked. Taku prepared herself for the rush of people and cut slices for Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, Ten Ten, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, and of course Chouji. As everyone started eating their old teachers smelt the food and dropped by. So she cut a piece for Iruka, Kurenai, Gai, Asuma, and Kakashi. Everyone had greeted her using the name Taku, and it made her smile that everyone here called her by the familiar nickname instead of the one she was given at birth. It wasn't that they didn't know her true name they all knew it and it warmed her heart they all chose to call her Taku by themselves. Taku grabbed a piece of pizza for herself and plopped on the couch between Neji and Chouji. "I don't care where I was born, this place right here surrounded by all of you, this is my home."

Unbeknownst to her, as she spoke those words the very last glimmer of her body disappeared from her world. The only person to notice this was Tsunade, who had taken it upon herself to watch over Taku's body when the girl was in their world. She instantly called one of the Chunnin nearest by to run and get the girl. Back at the party Taku was saying her goodbyes because the sun would set soon and she would be forced to go back to the life she knew in the waking world. At that moment though the Chunnin burst in, 

"Lorraine, you need to go see the hokage it's very urgent." Taku ran straight to the office thinking she had little time before your departure.

By the time Taku arrived Tsunade, had realized there was only one thing she could do, since she could not restore your body. "Lorraine, or rather Taku, please have a seat. I would like you too look here in this bowl and tell me what you see."

Taku looked down, "I see my room back in my waking world, but why is my body not there?"

"Taku for a long time I have watched over your body while you were here but tonight something strange started to happen. Your body started to slowly disappear and just a few minutes ago I saw the last remains of it completely disappear from your world. There is only one thing left for me to do and that is to invite you to become an actual ninja of the village hidden in the leaves. So do you agree?" Taku's jaw dropped to the floor. It was her dreams come true, literally.

Taku was so stunned it took her a full minute to answer, "Of course Miss Hokage!" Afterwards Tsunade, handed Taku a headband and assigned her to Shikamaru's team she ran out straight back to Chouji's house to tell everyone the good news, without thinking of where you would stay, well honestly if you have a dream come true who would be thinking about such mundane things as clothing shelter and food? The sun had set while Taku was in the Hokage's office. As Taku rushed in the door everyone was shocked to see her still here after the sunset if human jaws were a little more flexible you would have heard a separate thump from every person in the room. "I get to stay, for good." Everyone smiled and cheered Taku was just as much a part of their lives as they were in hers.

As you tied on your headband Chouji spoke up, "So where will you be staying Taku."

Her cheeks flushed, "To be perfectly honest I was so happy that I was able to stay here I forgot to think about that part. So, in that case does anybody here have a spare room?" Taku heard a jumble of voices so then she put a little more detail in her request. "Alright, anyone who has a spare room and wouldn't mind me staying there please raise your hand now." Hands went up all around Sasuke, Neji, Kiba, And Chouji all had their hands up. Taku looked at the faces around her three of the boys looked happy while the other one sat their with the look on his face to mirror how she felt when the only guy who called her Taku in her other world, Jay, brought his girlfriend into the restaurant they had both worked in.. That look decided it for Taku in an instant.

Taku jumped on the chosen male's lap and gave him a hug, "Thank you so much Chouji, but are you sure you feel comfortable with me staying here?" As he smiled and nodded three other faces fell without her noticing. "Oh that reminds me Shikamaru, I'll be on your team starting tomorrow."

Soon after everyone started to file out and Taku and Chouji began cleaning up the mess left behind. "Thanks again Chouji for letting me stay here it was so nice of you."

"Well, it was nice of the other guys too. I'm sure you know that almost every guy here has a crush on you. I was seriously surprised when you chose to stay with me." Chouji looked down at the floor as if his admission would send her running after one of the other guys. Taku just smiled lifted his chin and kissed his cheek and went on her tip toes to whisper in his ear.

"Well Chouji, I'll let you in on a secret I have a crush here too and he is the cutest and sweetest ninja of them all," Taku felt his face fall but continued so she could correct his mistake, "and that is why I chose to stay with him." His cheeks turned so bright that she could feel the heat radiating off his blush. "Now that this problem is settled can you show me to the bathroom? I feel the need for a shower before bed." Without saying a word he showed Taku the bathroom and opened the door to the room she would be staying in. Taku stood in the shower for a while then washed up, and got a towel to dry off she also washed out your clothes and hung them up to dry. With the towel around her, she walked to the door Chouji had opened and found a large t-shirt lying on the bed along with a pair of adjustable black sweat pants. She smiled at how Chouji thought of her needs before she herself did. Next to the clothing was a note, it read,

Taku,

Tomorrow we will go shopping and get you some clothes that will actually fit but for now I hope this will work.

Chouji

Taku got dressed and hopped down the stairs to get a glass of water before bed and saw Chouji staring out the window. She walked over and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much for the use of your clothes and the offer to buy me some of my own but I will not take no for an answer when I tell you I will pay you back every cent you spend on me tomorrow."

Chouji looked up at you, "That's fine but I was wondering, well we have this festival coming up in a few days and I was wondering if you would like to go with me?" Taku smiled and told him yes before heading back up the stairs. She fell asleep that night with a smile on her face, for the first time ever since her mother died feeling like she was loved.

Chapter 3: Walking Realizations 2

The next morning Taku woke up rested and completely refreshed. As she stretched and yawned she just had that feeling that everything was right in the world. She stood up and then realized she wasn't in her room. It wasn't a dream; she would actually get to stay here. She put on a smile as she put on yesterdays clothes. She and Chouji were going shopping today, and just like all other females on the planet Taku loved to shop. Then she remembered that Chouji had asked her to go to an upcoming festival. 'No that wasn't right, that part had to have been a dream. Chouji would never actually ask me out. He is way too sweet and great for me not to mention shy. In fact he will probably be going with Ino she would be a lot better for him. I still can't believe I actually told him about my crush on him though. This is so embarrassing. Ill just pretend I don't remember unless Chouji brings it up.' After making her decision she went down to make breakfast knowing Chouji would smell the food and come running.

Chouji wakes up to the smell of chocolate and bacon. 'Wow what a wonderful person. She probably forgot all about me asking her to the festival. Well I just won't bring it up unless she does. She was probably just trying to make me feel better last night. Someone like her couldn't like someone like me.' (Denial anyone?) Chouji sighs and crawls out of bed. He gets dressed before going downstairs and seeing Taku making a mountain of chocolate chip pancakes and piles of bacon. 'What a woman. Too bad she is too good for me.' Before Chouji could reach her and make her aware of his presence she started singing with her back still turned to him.  
She sang the same song every morning since her mother's death. Well actually, for a while it was two songs but after she got through her mourning phase she began only singing the second. Both songs had been by Evanescence. The first was "Hello" and the second was "Imaginary." Unable to break the habit the words to Imaginary came to her lips.

"I linger in the doorway  
Of alarm clock screaming  
Monsters calling my name  
Let me stay  
Where the wind will whisper to me  
Where the raindrops  
As they're falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers  
And candy clouds of lullaby  
I lie inside myself for hours  
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Don't say I'm out of touch  
With this rampant chaos- your reality  
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge  
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers  
And candy clouds of lullaby  
I lie inside myself for hours  
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming  
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights  
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming  
The goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers  
And candy clouds of lullaby  
I lie inside myself for hours  
And watch my purple sky fly over me

"That was beautiful." Taku suddenly heard a voice behind her and turned to find Chouji standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

'The smell of food must have brought him down here to hear me sing.' "I'm sorry Chouji. It is kind of a force of habit. I have been singing that song every morning since I started visiting here. It's how I always felt when I woke in the morning, wishing I could come back." Taku put all the food on plates and took them over to the table looking down and blushing.

"It's perfectly fine, I hope I get to wake up to your singing every morning it put me in a really good mood." They both smiled and laughed as they heard a knock on the door. "Oh, man am I glad you fixed so much food I forgot today is the day Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke come here for breakfast." Yet again you laughed.

"I knew Chouji that's why I made so much, one of these pancakes fill up normal people but I have a feeling you Naruto and Sasuke will be eating more than that." Taku said this while heading for the door. 

As soon as she opened it Naruto stuck his nose in the house, "What is that wonderful smell?"

"It's your breakfast Naruto, so come on in guys." Everyone crowded around the table and filled their plates. As always, they loved Taku's cooking and it was a while until the conversation started up. For once though it was actually Chouji who started it.

"So Ino, have you found any entertainment for the Rose Festival, yet?"

Ino looked like she was concentrating very hard, "Actually, we can't find anyone to do it. Also, that reminds me. We decided to change the way its run this year we have had way to many problems with running out of red roses, so this year we are going to only allow the guys to get the red and we are going to go around asking how many they need and who its for so we can supply everyone with the right amount of roses, the girls will get one white and the rest yellow."

"I think I have a solution to your entertainment problem." Chouji says, "I woke up this morning to the most beautiful singing I had ever heard before. It was really amazing. I think you should have Taku sing for the festival." Taku, Ino, and Sakura all almost choke on their food after Chouji's suggestion.

"Well, my mother would have to hear her sing first so Taku you can come to my house after training to audition, that is if you want the job." Ino smiled graciously and very falsely. "If her voice is as good as he says it is she could save my butt, the entertainment was my responsibility this year."

"I would be honored." You then gathered up the dishes and Sakura and Ino offered to do them. (Yes, Ino and Sakura have become friends again, remember people they are 17 now and not 12.) Taku were so happy they did because that gave her and Chouji time for shopping before they had to go train. She bought a few more outfits like the one she was wearing and then a few dresses in blue, red, and purple. She also got white black and brown pants to wear under them.

Finally, Chouji talked her into buying a kimono for the festival and she found the perfect one. It was a dark blue almost navy and had pictures of bamboo shoots in silver and lighter hues of blue. The most wonderful thing about this kimono was on the right shoulder it showed a picture of a black and blue butterfly, which reminded Taku of the episode she saw where Chouji was a young child and saved a butterfly from a spider's web, it seemed fitting to the situation. The obi was a pale blue color.

After that they went to another store to pick up necessities like toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and underwear. Needless to say Chouji was waiting outside during this time. As he was waiting Ino came up with a clip board in her hand. "So Chouji, How many roses and who are they for?" Ino asked pen ready.

He sighed not really happy of the definite consequences of what he was about to do, "Just one Ino, and it is for Taku." Her jaw dropped and she wrote down what he had said but before she left she looked him in the eye.

"Chouji, If your going to be going after Taku you are going to have a lot of competition, Nenji, and Kiba have already requested roses for her and your not exactly, well cute and skinny. I just hope you don't get crushed. Bye, Chouji." With that Ino walked away leaving Chouji feeling like a complete moron. After a few minutes of sadness the brightest smile he had ever seen popped out of the store he was standing by.

"Come on Chouji; let's get some Ramen for lunch, before we are out to train. When they got there she ordered a beef bowl, and Chouji completely out of character ordered only one and it was vegetable. "Chouji, is something wrong? I have never seen you eat less than two bowls and I have never seen you eat vegetable." Taku looked at him worried. She knew he needed those extra calories for his family's specialized Justus.

"Yeah, I guess my size is just starting to bother me and Ino suggested this and well I thought I would try it." Taku looked at him and frowned. 'His weight had never bothered him before; it must be Ino's fault. That's the reason he won't eat right. He might kill himself like this.'

After finishing their meal the two of them headed for the training grounds. Taku walked straight up to Shikamaru and asked if you could do one on one physical training with Ino. He agreed and sent the two of them to the other side of the clearing. Once Taku got in position her eyes looked redder than the purple they normally are. "Alright Ino, no Justus, or weapons this is going to be a purely physical fight fist to fist kick to kick got that?" Ino nodded and Taku began mercilessly attacking her. Ino couldn't keep up with the speed and she couldn't hear the other girl's silent moves. After Ino was on her hands and knees exhausted and bleeding from the busted lip Taku leaned down and spoke to her. "Ino, what in the hell did you say to Chouji to make him want to diet, he could get himself killed without those extra calories."

Ino looked up at Taku surprised. 'No wonder she went so hard on me. I didn't mean to make him think that I just didn't want him to get hurt.' "He requested a rose for a girl who is very popular with the guys. I was just trying to explain to him that he might get rejected because of his size compared to the other guys that like her."

Taku was enraged, "Are you actually that shallow Ino? First off if this girl doesn't like Chouji for who he is she doesn't deserve such a sweet guy. Second it's not size that matters its's inside and Chouji has one of the biggest hearts in this village. Third if you don't go to him and explain this and get that stupid idea of dieting out of his head next time we train like this I will stick my hand in that tiny little chest of yours and rip out that sad excuse for a heart." Taku then healed Ino's body and walked away, she was going to make a huge diner to tempt Chouji into dropping this crazy idea of dieting.

Once Taku had left Ino walked over and sat under a tree waiting for Shikamaru and Chouji to finish their training. Once they were done she walked up to Chouji, I'm sorry Chouji I was out of line earlier but Taku straightened my thinking out. In her own words she told me what an idiot I was being and I quote: First off if this girl doesn't like Chouji for who he is she doesn't deserve such a sweet guy. Second it's not size that matters its's inside and Chouji has one of the biggest hearts in this village. Third if you don't go to him and explain this and get that stupid idea of dieting out of his head next time we train like this I will stick my hand in that tiny little chest of yours and rip out that sad excuse for a heart. End quote so in other words, she likes you for who you are Chouji and she really likes you. I have the feeling you will be the one getting that white rose at the festival."

After his talk with Ino Chouji walked home insanely happy. When he walked through the door and saw the spread on the table his eyes bugged out. "Here Chouji, I already ate please finish off what you can then put the rest in the fridge I have to go audition for the festival entertainment." With that Taku ran out the door and Chouji was left with the food. He was so hungry from not eating a healthy lunch (for him), that he dug in and ate twice what he normally would. He then put the rest in the fridge and did the dishes. After that he fell asleep on the couch waiting for you. (He was so tired from training without proper nutrition.)

Meanwhile Taku had sung the song Chouji had heard that morning and got the job. She then sat down with Ino and Ino's mother to pick out the songs she would sing at the festival the next day. Taku would sing two sets of ten love songs and end with The Rose. They also insisted that she come over so they could do her hair before she started the next morning. Extremely tired she walked back to Chouji's house to find him asleep on the couch. Taku went up to his room to get a cover for him. When she got back down she laid it over him and kissed his forehead. Then she went up to her own room, in Chouji's house of course and got the stuff for a shower. It had been such a long day. She let the hot water cascade down her body. Then again, even long days could be good days. Also, after working the festival she could pay back part of the money to Chouji and start saving with the rest. After stepping out the chill of night hit her so she quickly dressed and went to her room. Taku snuggled under the cover replaying the events of the day in her mind. With one final sigh she fell asleep.

Chapter 4: Song of Love

The next morning Chouji woke to the sun hitting his face. When he saw the cover on top of him he knew that Taku had gotten home last night after all. He got up to make her breakfast as a thank you for everything she had done for him lately. He really wanted to show her he appreciated it so he even made homemade cappuccinos by making coffee and putting one scoop of vanilla ice cream in each cup. He had also made scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and a fruit salad.

Upstairs Taku was slowly being pulled from her slumber from the good smells coming from downstairs. She got up and dressed yourself in the normal clothes she would be singing in. (After the performance she would change into your kimono.) She then slipped downstairs to see the sweetest gesture a guy could ever make. He made her favorite breakfast. "Oh, Chouji this is so sweet! Thank you so much!" 'With as much food as he made, he better have gave up on that stupid diet idea.' She then sat down; he had already made a plate for her.

"Well Taku, it was the least I could do after everything you have done for me since you came here, including getting Ino to talk me out of the diet." Taku smiled at him knowing that it was Ino's fault to begin with but not saying anything that she thought would upset Chouji. After helping Chouji with the dishes she told him she had to rush out, and then took the walk to Ino's house alone. When Taku got there Ino and Sakura got on each side of her and started doing part of her hair. They talked about the people who would be in her back up band. They were all Chunin who had stayed in that position for years like Iruka. They also spoke about how to make one of Taku's songs extra special. The three of them planned a surprise for the middle of tenth song just before the break. After the planning for this was finished, (no I won't tell you the surprise) her hair was done also. Three hours later as she walked onto the stage she looks magnificent. She wore a spaghetti strap dress that one side only went down to her hip on left side then on the other made a v to her knee, it also had a diamond of lace with see through abilities that touched her belly button and middle of her back the bottom of her bra and the top of her hip. She wore black pants underneath the dress. Her hair was up in two buns on the sides and had two strings hanging down below her breasts in a spiral. Her hair color matched the dress a very light blue shade.

Taku stood up and picked up the microphone. "Oh right my first song will be dedicated to all those out there who have loved someone unreachable. It is called castles in the sky." With that the band started to play and Taku's voice filled the festival turning heads and bodies in her direction. Everyone except her could tell this was something special and all of Sasuke's ex fan girls were crowded around the stage hugging each other while she sang. Through the next five songs she saw roses being given in the crowd. Shikamaru to Temari, Naruto to Hinata, and Kiba to Ino. Those of course were the only ones that got white roses in return. You even got a few roses from Kiba, Nenji, and Shino. She handed them all yellow roses from the stage waiting for one special person to give her a rose hopefully he would. The seventh song was very special she you had to do an introduction for it. "I hope you have enjoyed the show so far but the next song is for all those who have lost someone special, someone they can only meet up with when they join them in death." She then began singing my only love:

Deep in my soul,  
a love so strong,  
it takes control.  
Now we both know.  
The secrets bared,  
The feelings shown.  
Driven far apart,  
I make a wish on a shooting star.

There will come a day,  
Somewhere far away,  
In your arms I'll stay,  
My only love.  
Even though you're gone,  
Love will still live on,  
The feeling is so strong,  
My only love, my only love.  
There will come a day,   
Somewhere far away,  
In your arms I'll stay,  
My only love.   
Even though you're gone,  
Love will still live on,  
The feeling is so strong,  
My only love, my only love.

There will come a day,  
Somewhere far away,  
In your arms I'll stay,   
My only love.  
You've reached the deepest part  
of the secret in my heart,  
I've known it from the start,  
My only love,  
my only love.

Kakashi and everyone else who had lost someone they cared about during missions or I either the war with Kyuubi or Orochimaru began to cry during this song. She then began with the normal love songs again until her tenth song came up. She saw Sakura and Ino make their way closer to the stage and stopped once again for her introduction. "Now when most of us think of love marriage comes to mind, the love between a man and a woman. There are other forms of love though, the kind between friends, and I want to remind you all of that. That is why my next song is the power of love." Every one was confused as she sat down the microphone and began belting with her own voice using no amplification:

There comes a time,  
When you face the toughest of fights,  
Searching for a sign,  
Lost in the darkest of nights,  
The wind blows so cold,  
You're standing alone,  
Before the battle's begun,  
But deep in your soul,  
The future unfolds,  
As bright as the rays of the sun.

You've got to believe,  
In the Power of Love,   
You've got to believe,  
In the Power of Love,  
The Power of Love.

Blazing Emotion,  
There's a light that glows from your heart,  
It's a chain reaction,  
And nothing will keep us apart,  
Stand by my side,  
There's nothing to hide,  
Together we'll fight till the end,  
Take hold of my hand,

At this point she took the hands of Sakura and Ino and pulled them to the stage with her, while singing the next two lines, before she picked up the microphone again. All three of them finished the song, singing their hearts out about the power the love found in friendship has.

And you'll understand,  
what it truly means to be friends.

You've got to believe,  
(You've got to believe)   
In the Power of Love  
You've got to believe,  
(You've got to believe)  
In the Power of Love,  
It gives meaning to each moment,  
It's what our hearts are all made of,  
You've got to believe,  
(You've got to believe)  
In the Power of Love,  
The Power of Love.

Taku put your arms over each of their shoulders and they do the same to her dancing and singing to the very last part.

You've got to believe,  
(You've got to believe)  
In the Power of Love,  
You've got to believe,  
(You've got to believe)  
In the Power of Love,  
It gives meaning to each moment,  
It's what our hearts are all made of,  
(Just look inside)  
You've got to believe,  
(You've got to believe)  
In the Power of Love,  
The Power of Love.

After this she stepped of the stage to get a glass of water for her ten minute break. She was approached by Gaara, (he was chaperoning his sister from the sand village.) "Do you actually believe that love makes you stronger, that it is not a weakness?" she just smiled at him and pointed to Naruto.

"Gaara, I am sure you have seen Naruto around. He used to be the class clown never making good grades, goofing off all the time, but now he is a great ninja and well on his way to making his dream of becoming a Hokage a reality. His love for Hinata and his teammates has given him strength because he has someone special to him to protect. It would be the same for you also, for anyone actually. Love makes us stronger because it gives us something truly important to fight for even if the one we love seems weak, they are stronger for their love just as you are." A few moments of silence ensued before Taku realized the time. "Sorry Gaara but I have to get back up there, just trust me one day you will find someone worthy enough for you to protect." He nodded and walked away as she ran back up to the stage. She went through the next eight songs without incident or introduction. She also saw more roses being given out and white ones returned from Sasuke and Sakura, Nenji and Ten Ten, Lee and some chunin Taku didn't know, Lee to another chunin you didn't know you, and finally Gai to Asuma. This only made Taku smile. During the song when I fall in love Chouji approached the stage nervously and handed Taku a red rose. This is what she had been dreaming of so she handed him a white one in return. He jumped for joy and she smiled as she finished the song knowing one other way she could show Chouji her love.

"Alright, this last song I would like to dedicate to the sweetest and most special ninja here in Konaha. Chouji, I love you. This song is called The Rose." Taku smiled as he jumped for joy yet again, and began to sing her final song of the day:

Some say love, it is a river  
that drowns the tender reed.  
Some say love, it is a razor  
that leaves your soul to bleed.  
Some say love, it is a hunger,  
an endless aching need.  
I say love; it is a flower,   
and you its only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking  
that never learns to dance.  
It's the dream afraid of waking  
that never takes the chance.  
It's the one who won't be taken,  
who cannot seem to give,  
and the soul afraid of dying'  
that never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely  
and the road has been to long,  
and you think that love is only  
for the lucky and the strong,  
just remember in the winter  
far beneath the bitter snows  
lies the seed that with the sun's love  
in the spring becomes the rose.

After that song Taku walked down and hugged Chouji and gave him a small peck on the lips. Taku left to change into your kimono.

She ran back to find Chouji and spend the rest of the day with him. He won her a prize and let her chose what she wanted. She could have picked a tiger plushy, a dragon statue or a big fluffy teddy bear. She picked the tiger. Her reasoning for this was. 'Well, the statue is breakable and I already have a wonderful teddy bear.' After that the two of them got ice cream and sat down in the grassy meadow where the fireworks would be shot off in ten minutes. She saw a little melted ice cream drip on Chouji's lip so she leaned over and licked it off. This turned into a long kiss. Just as she pulled away she heard the whistle of the first rocket making its ascent in the air. Taku sat between Chouji's legs and leaned back on his chest to watch them explode one by one lighting up the sky in the same way that Chouji's kisses lit up her heart. The only thing was those fireworks seemed so dim compared to the feelings that were making her heart expand. The last exploded in a huge star burst using every color in the rainbow, and even it seemed muted in comparison.

After the last of the fireworks she and Chouji stood up to walk hand in hand back to his house. It was one of the happiest moments in her life and all of those memories included Chouji. After they reached home they put both roses in a vase and set them on the kitchen table. Afterwards Chouji suggested the two of them watch a movie so she leaned on him through out it. Halfway through the movie Chouji looked down at her to find her fast asleep on his shoulder. He wiggled around a bit to get them both in a more comfortable position, (his arm was going numb) and then pulled the cover over the both of them and fell asleep with her laying on him whispering his name in her sleep.

Chapter 5: Waking to Surprises

The sun was beginning to penetrate the small space between Taku's eyelids when she heard voices. "Sssshhhhh, if your not quiet they wake up." Suddenly she heard a click and saw a flash. As she was finally able to pry her eyes open she saw two figures running out the front door. She snuggled back down into Chouji for a few minutes until he awoke also. They got up then and fixed breakfast together unaware of the two figures running out of the photo development place straight to their house. She ate a huge breakfast both took showers then got dressed in training clothes for the rough day ahead. Today was her first serious day of training here and she really had no idea what she could do or what to expect. As she opened the door she saw a hanging note that said look down for a present from the few singles left in the village. There on the ground were pictures of all the new couples that developed last night as well as a picture of Taku making Gaara smile and Ino, Sakura, and her on stage arms over shoulders. On the very bottom though was a framed picture of her sleeping on Chouji.

"I wonder how they got this picture." Chouji said as he placed it on the kitchen table beside the roses.

"Well, I woke up to a camera flash this morning and I just realized who the two figures I saw running out this morning were. I can't believe Shino and Gaara would do this but that is definitely who I saw." Just as she said that Shino walked past her.

"Don't blame it all on Gaara and me. Kakashi was the one who had the idea we just executed it because we knew he would end up being too late to catch you guys all asleep." Shino smiled at the two of them and continued his walk.

"Well this was definitely a nice surprise," you said, "now we have to buy a photo album for all those pictures." They both laughed and began walking to the training ground hand in hand. When they got there she saw everyone else standing around waiting and Ino ran up to them.

"It was such a sweet gesture don't you think we all got the same pictures and notes this morning. Do you have any idea who did it?" Taku laughed smiled and pointed to Gaara who was silently standing by his sister.

"It was him, Kakashi, and Shino. They worked it all out and I saw him and Shino running out the front door this morning." At this point Taku and Ino ran to Gaara and gave him a hug for doing such a sweet thing. After that it was straight to business.

"Now, Taku we don't really know what you are capable of so we need to find out. The Justus you have done so far, how did you know them?" Shikamaru was staring straight at her this time when he spoke. Looking in her eyes as if searching her soul for answers.

"Well, to be perfectly honest I really don't know I have just been working on instincts." Taku looked up from the ground and the pretty butterfly whose wings she was studying while she spoke. "I guess if I had to say for sure I would call it woman's intuition."

Shikamaru just shook his head. "How troublesome, I'm going to teach Taku some basic moves and try to help her unlock her power why don't the rest of you walk to the other side of the clearing to train. I am so glad I have some experience as a teacher." (Shikamaru used to help out Iruka in his class) "Alright Taku now I want you to copy these hand signs exactly. This is for the high jump it strengthens your jumping power by ten." He made the hand signs and she copied them exactly committing them to memory before you both sprang off the ground. Shikamaru went about ten feet higher than the tallest tree in the forest and she reached twenty feet higher than him. When they both hit earth again he decided to try the transforming Justus. "Now while you do the hand signs get a clear picture in your head of what you want to transform into." Taku did this and when the smoke cleared she was a perfect replica of Temari in every way, shape, and form. After that she continued with clones and chakra control. By the time everyone was ready for lunch she looked exhausted but she had learned a lot. They all gathered around and agreed to go to Shikamaru's house where Taku and he would help each other cook and Gaara and Chouji would be clean up crew.

When Taku got there she and Shikamaru made a chicken stir fry with mashed potatoes and a salad. She also whipped up a quick éclair for desert. While she was working Shikamaru began talking about her afternoon training session. "So Taku, I think you have pretty much mastered the easier Justus so I was thinking we should begin on weapon training. It might take a few days to find out what weapons you are best with even with your skills. We should probably ask Temari if she has an extra fan you can train with also." Taku agreed as she sat the food on the table and luckily enough Temari did have an extra fan. Afterwards Chouji and Gaara took the dishes to the kitchen and began to clean the rest of the people there went out to get a head start on training. Though most of them would be sorry for missing the conversation that went on in that kitchen.

"Chouji?" Chouji looked up at Gaara waiting for him to continue. "How did you fall in love with Taku? How did you know it was love?"

Chouji thought hard about this question before answering, "Well, I have always been around girls but I never had a problem talking to them before with Taku I did. When we first met I was really shy around her and it was only her kind nature that pulled me out of my shell. Even when we became close friends though, on her monthly visits I had this strange feeling around her, a feeling I hadn't known before. It was like when she was near my whole body was filled with the warmth of her personality, and when I looked into her eyes I just knew. I still can't understand how she likes me and from the conversations we have had I can tell she thinks the same way about me. I guess that is how you know you're in love. You can't understand why or how but you chose each other and both of you feel like you don't deserve each other. I think it's just something you have to experience for yourself though. Why do you ask?"

Gaara took a deep breath and looked nervous, Chouji could instantly tell he had it bad, "Well, something Taku said at the festival struck a cord with me. It made me think of a certain girl who isn't very strong of body but she still has the strength to stand up for what she believes in even if it's only through talking. She will go up to the most powerful of ninja, knowing she can't beat them in a physical fight, and practically destroy them with her words. She doesn't need to fight because all her strength is on the inside. She would probably think someone like me who only uses brute strength is a monster." 

Chouji smiled, "You should talk to her. I have a feeling this girl wouldn't see you as a monster, I have a feeling and a little bit of a clue from the look in your eyes when you speak of her that she just might be the girl for you. Also if you get nervous just remember even I, someone who thought no one would ever chose him because of his weight, got a strong, intelligent, and beautiful girl like Taku. No case is hopeless and love is blind my friend." With that they both headed out to the training grounds where the others were basically adding insult to injury with their harsh training techniques.

Shikamaru was making Taku throw kunai knifes at a tree and calling her names every time she missed the mark which happened a few times because she was still a little tired from the morning session and all he was doing was sitting there and watching her throw. Temari and Ino were sparing, without weapons, Temari trying to help Ino on her speed and senses so she could beat Taku next time. Both girls were blind folded and trying to hit without sight. Needless to say Temari was doing much better than Ino. Chouji and Gaara decided to work on their own special Justus together. (With no death or blood of course) They all trained themselves very hard pushing the limits of their bodies. (Well except Shikamaru) As the bottom of the sun hit the mountains in the distance Shikamaru had fallen fast asleep so Taku called everyone in. She then had Temari kick Shikamaru in the side and asks, "Hey hunny, have we done enough training? Can we please go home now?" He agreed and they all walked to Ino's house for diner. Her cousin, Mitsumi, had been living with her for the last year. She was a year younger than all of them and had never passed the test to get out of the ninja academy. She just wasn't physically strong enough. All of them loved her though because her lack of physical strength didn't stop her from speaking her mind. (Sound familiar?)

Mitsumi was in the middle of cooking when they all walked in and Gaara asked if he could help her in the kitchen to expand the meal for all those Ino had invited. With a slight almost unnoticeable, except to those with an amazing eye for detail, blush Mitsumi agreed and they headed to the kitchen to work as the rest of them plopped down on the couch chairs and the floor to rest their bodies. Taku smiled and spoke up when they were all seated, "It seems like Gaara has found someone to protect and it seems the feelings are shared on the other side." Everyone had a confused look on their faces then snuck to the kitchen door cracking it just enough to see in. The sight before them shocked some and made others think finally. The two teens were standing there laughing and talking. All the others all quietly snuck back to the living room and Temari spoke up first.

"For someone so feared in our village for a moment there Gaara just looked like a normal teenager in love." Everyone but Taku and Chouji just looked dumbfounded.

"Well Temari, he may be feared but that is exactly what it is. He is just a normal teen in love with a girl with a strong enough spirit to speak her mind. That monster inside him really has no control over Gaara unless he allows it to and I think from now on we will be seeing less of the monster and more of the sweet teenager that has been hidden from the world because of pain." Taku smiled thinking up a plan to help this relationship along a little.

At this Mitsumi popped her head in, "dinner is ready everyone." They all piled around the table and began with normal conversations of small talk and training. Half way through the meal though Taku began your plan, "Chouji I was thinking it would be a good idea to go on a double date, what do you think?" He caught on to her plan instantly but pretended to think about it for a moment.

"I agree, so Gaara, is there anyone you'd like to bring for a double date with me and Taku?" Gaara blushed madly and Temari held in a laugh. She knew that would be a very bad idea right now. Taku looked him in the eyes with a look on her face that said I know what you want just take a leap of faith. 

This gave him the little push he needed. "Umm... Well... Mitsumi, would you like to accompany me on a double date with Chouji and Taku?" He looked over to see Mitsumi smiling brightly enough to make the sun seem dim in comparison.

"I would love to go with you Gaara." So after that the four of them finalized their plans before everyone started to leave for home. Taku held Chouji's hand while walking home. Taku knew she had just sped up things a lot it might have taken a very long time for Gaara to ask Mitsumi on his own.

"You know, what you just did for them was really nice. I'm just glad I caught on to your plan. If it wasn't for the conversation me and Gaara had at lunch I would have been completely lost." Chouji then told Taku about what he and Gaara had discussed while cleaning up the kitchen.

"I just thought after all the two of them had been through they deserved the chance to be happy sooner rather than later. If I hadn't sped things up they would have gotten there eventually but I am happy I could help. So do you want to take a shower first?" Taku had just come through the door and Chouji looked extremely tired. (Training with Gaara can do that to a guy.)

"No, you go ahead and before you ask yes I am sure." Taku smiled gave him a swift kiss on the lips then ran up the stairs to the bathroom. The steaming water cascading down her body gave your muscles much needed relief. She quickly scrubbed up knowing that Chouji would fall asleep again if she didn't hurry. As Taku stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel she realized on her rush to get to the bathroom she had forgot to grab her night clothes. So she wrapped the towel around her and walked out as she passed by Chouji's room she stood in the doorway to tell him the bathroom was open. She had the satisfaction of seeing his jaw drop straight to the floor. Taku continued to walk to her room as Chouji walked to the bathroom with a stunned look still on his face.

Taku giggled a bit as she slipped into her pajamas. She had just finished braiding your hair in two pig tail braids when she heard the water from the shower running. As Taku grabbed the stuffed tiger off the desk she thought of how she would work the double date tomorrow. Since there were no missions at this time they were only training every other day, to give their muscles a break. Taku slipped under the covers and hugged the tiger Chouji had won for her close to her chest. With one final sigh she fell asleep to the soothing sounds of water droplets hitting the bottom of the tub.

Chapter 6: Double Date

Chouji slipped into Taku's room and sat on her bed. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and watched as her eye lids slowly lifted. He turned away before speaking. "Maybe we rushed this a little too fast. I mean what if Mitsumi expects more emotion than Gaara is willing to show? Does he even know how to act around girls?" Taku shook her head she had realized this last night.

"Now to initiate part two of my master plan. Muahahaha." Chouji got a frightened look in his eyes after the attempt at an evil laugh Taku made. Not because the laugh itself was scary but because it was coming from such an innocent looking girl. "Ok here is what we do. I'll go to Mitsumi and help her get ready for the date while explaining a few things about Gaara. At the same time I want you to coach Gaara in the ways of women. You know them pretty well if you ask me, just remember to remind him about complimenting." Soon after Taku finished concocting her master plan they went down to get breakfast ready so they could start their day off right. After cleaning up the breakfast dishes Taku went up to her room to choose her outfit and do her hair. Taku threw on an off the shoulder red sweater that showed the black straps of her sports bra. She then pulled on a black pair of pants and slid a jean skirt over them with gold hemming and rhinestones decorating it. She then began to work on her hair. She tried curling it to give it a little more volume but it didn't really take, unfortunately it seemed her hair always had a mind of it's own. Then she tried brushing it out and letting it stay down, yet again a complete failure. Her hair was just too straight and too flat. Finally, an idea popped into her head. You began to pull it back and twist it. She used bobby pins to hold it against the back of her head and let the top part spike around the back. She then used a colored hair gel to put a few pink streak in here and there it made a perfect contrast to the light blue that was her natural color. Looking in the mirror she were completely satisfied for once, she knew it was Chouji's influence that made her feel that way. "Now, for Mitsumi." Taku then left the house with her hair and makeup kit and feeling of accomplishment.

Taku slowly walked the streets headed for Ino's house looking in the windows of all the shops she passed. Suddenly, she saw a small red photo album that looked like it would hold one picture on each page but it had a lot of pages in it. On the cover it was red with two silver colored hearts overlapping. It was perfect for all the pictures taken of Konaha's various couples. When Taku went to the counter she looked at the displays and picked up a disposable camera. It never hurt to be prepared... After paying and slipping both items in her purse, thank goodness she had opted for the bag instead of the clutch, she finished her walk. When she knocked Ino opened the door immediately. "Thank god you're here. Mitsumi has been driving us all crazy this morning. She wants to look perfect for her date tonight and she has lost all confidence in her abilities to dress herself." Ino continued to talk as she pushed Taku down the hall to Mitsumi's room. "Please, help her she wont let me!" Taku walked in to see the room in complete shambles. Clothes were everywhere and more were seemingly jumping out from the closet with a surprising amount of force as if wishing to escape the clutches of the one that was after them.

Avoiding the closet bombs Taku looked around the floor and picked up a red and black designed shirt. A more prolonged search uncovered, A black skirt with a rose and vine design on the bottom hem along with some fishnet stockings. Taku also picked up two red arm warmers and a pair of red shoes. Taku shouted at Mitsumi so she could be heard over the ruckus the nervous girl was making and calmly told her to pick up everything else she had found the perfect outfit. Ten minutes later the room was clean and Mitsumi was dressed but she still had no earthly idea what to do with his hair. Taku placed a hand on each of her shoulders and sat her down on the vanity stool. "Okay let's see short straight blond hair. Don't worry Mitsumi; I know exactly what to do." Before beginning Taku quickly turned her around so she wouldn't go crazy while watching the process it took to fix the girls hair. Taku then brushed out Mitsumi's hair and started working on the back leaving her long bangs to obstruct her view of the mirror on the wall across the room. Taku then pulled her hair into a high pony tail on the left side and used a thin rubber band to tie it off. After that she took a section of Mitsumi's hair and wrapped it around the rubber band using bobby pins to hold it in place so it looked a bit like her hair was tied in a knot. Taku also used a bit of gel to make the hair spike out from the ponytail. While doing this she continued to talk to Mitsumi. "You know you're the first girl that has ever sparked Gaara's interest. I have to warn you though he isn't really one of the best people at showing his emotions, so I don't think it would be wise to expect the kind of emotion you have seen other couples share. He is kind of new to this whole liking someone thing."

"That's ok Taku. I know about Gaara's past. I was born with a special ability even though I don't make the best ninja I can see into people's hearts and souls." Taku giggled a bit at that as she turned Mitsumi around to start working on her bangs. Taku parted them on the side leaving them down and pinned the left side back with two clips leaving just enough leeway for the bangs to fall to cover her left eye.

"I see that power must come in handy a lot. No wonder you know exactly what to say to bring anyone to their knees." Taku then began working on her makeup using the minimalist approach, which means a tiny bit of light eye shadow and some lip gloss. "Ok we are done here." Taku turned her around to look into the mirror and Mitsumi gasped.

"Oh, thank you Taku! You are a miracle worker. I love it; I just hope Gaara does also." She looked up at Taku with a sparkle in her eyes that spoke volumes to the girl who had only seen the same sparkle in her own eyes when she was around a certain teddy bear ninja. This wasn't just a crush on a cute boy, she was in love with everything she saw inside of Gaara, and she realized his faults and loved him all the more for it, this was true love, the kind of true love that only seemed to be possible in this world, once again Taku found herself thanking whatever powers that brought her here to stay whether it be lightning, the god she had prayed to her entire life, or a multitude of gods she had never heard of let alone spoken too.

"You had the beauty all the time Mitsumi. I'm not a miracle worker I just know some different styles that allow your own beauty to shine more brilliantly. I have a feeling you have nothing to worry about tonight." After saying that Taku realized it was time to go and meet the guys.

While Taku had been helping out Mitsumi Chouji had been talking to Gaara on a subject they both knew very little about, the inner workings of the female mind. (They shouldn't feel bad though no man gets it. To be truthful though they do better than most) "I really don't know myself how they think. Just compliment her because women like hearing nice things. They also like it for some reason when we talk about our feelings. Just remember everything we talked about so far and the date should go decently well. Taku has been with Mitsumi since this morning."

Chouji had said this while walking to the meeting place they had appointed that morning. Gaara chose that time to speak up. "I wonder what girls talk about when we aren't around." Chouji agreed and then all of a sudden they stopped in their tracks and their jaws hit the ground. Standing less than ten feet away were Mitsumi and Taku looking like they were ready for the hippest party anywhere.

Taku saw the two boys first and grabbed Mitsumi to pull her over to them. Gaara was the first to speak up. "You both look wonderful especially you Mitsumi."

Mitsumi blushed, "Well, Taku actually did all the work I just kind of sat there."

Gaara turned to Taku, "Then Taku I must thank you for allowing me to see Mitsumi's beauty in such a breathtaking way." He turned to Mitsumi and held out his arm. "Shall we head to the picnic spot?" She smiled still blushing and placed her arm in his. As they began walking Taku and Chouji hand in hand followed. After a short pause Taku leaned over and whispered in Chouji's ear, "Did you coach him to say that?"

He leaned over to Taku to answer, "Nope, he came up with that one all on his own." The date was going to consist of a picnic in a grassy meadow, all the food had been cooked by the boys earlier that day. Following that would be a movie at Chouji's house. From there Gaara is supposed to walk Mitsumi home. When they reached the meadow the boys sat out the blanket and then Taku and Mitsumi sat down while they sat out the food looking it over as they did so. The meal was absolutely delicious. Both girls complimented the boys on all their hard work as they gathered up all the leftovers and empty dishes. Each couple walked hand in hand to Chouji's house where the guys were the best of gentleman and put everything away allowing Mitsumi and Taku to pick out a movie. They looked through the collection and the ones Chouji had rented and Found "Song of the ninja" it was a love story, with enough action for the male pride, and Mitsumi hadn't seen it yet.  
The story goes something like this. It begins with a girl named Tarini dressing in all black with the mask that covers everything but her eyes. She was a great ninja and nobody knew her true identity. She was hired to be an assassin. One night she is forced to assassinate a wealthy landowner for his crimes against the local village. Afterwards she leaves behind her signature by standing in a tree nearby the house and singing a song of death. (More than likely one she made up just like I made up the story of this movie.) The son of the wealthy man wakes at the sound and hears a beautiful voice outside the window. He falls in love with the ninja's voice and spends months searching for that ninja. Two years later he has almost given up the search. Then one day he is walking to the local village to do some charity work like his father never did he hears a familiar sound. Even though he hasn't heard the voice in two years he recognizes it instantly. Haku, the landowner's son approaches her and says, "I heard that voice two years ago to this day and I instantly fell in love with the ninja who sang by my window the night she killed my father. Since that day I have been searching for her to ask her to become my bride." He stands in front of her and kneels down. "Will you please become mine?" From there they get married, but he does not force her to quit her job because that is how they first fell in love even though every time she is on a mission he waits by the door praying for her safe return. Then one night a local villager, who felt cheated because he wasn't allowed to kill the man who killed his family, came to Momiju's house to punish the young man for his father's deeds. That night when Tarini got home she found her husband lying on the floor blood splattered around the house. It seems her weaponless husband had fought to the very end. A week later she leaves a note and her broken hearted body on his grave as her spirit flies to the heavens to meet him. The last scene shows the note written by the ninja that died from a broken heart. It read:

My song of death was heard far and wide for only those who needed to die. You my love did not deserve the evil turn of fate that gripped you. I only wish that those with pain could let go and not blame the innocents who were connected to the cause of that pain in ways they had no control over. Until that day the song of the ninja shall be heard no more.

When the movie was over the two girls were in tears while the guys like usual were holding their emotions in. Gaara looked down at Mitsumi, "Why are you crying Mitsumi? It was only a movie."  
Mitsumi buried her head in his shoulder and said, "It was just so beautiful. The love between too people as strong as that could change the world." Soon Gaara and Mitsumi left so he could escort her home and Taku put your female ninja techniques to good use. Taku followed them to the front door of Ino's house. Just as she has suspected they stood there talking for a minute then Gaara leaned in for a kiss. Taku took your opportunity then she slipped the camera from the pouch and made sure the flash was off before snapping off a few quick pictures. (There was enough illumination from the porch light.) After Mitsumi had walked in the house and Gaara headed for the hotel he and Temari were staying at Taku silently snuck out of her hiding place and hightailed it to the photo development place. An hour later she walked out with enough copies of the picture for everyone she and Chouji knew. Taku walked home and split the pictures with Chouji writing on the back of each one "The newest couple. Sorry single people."

After all the pictures had the message on the back Taku took half the houses and Chouji took the other half. You put each picture on the doorstep and knocked on the door before sprinting away. The picture showed Gaara holding Mitsumi close right before the kiss. The cheeks of both the teens were tinted pink. When they both finally got home it was close to midnight and after their showers they decided to sleep on the couch in case Gaara tried to sneak in and kill them in their sleep. Taku spent the time Chouji was in the shower putting the pictures in the photo album she had bought. On the last page was a copy of the picture she had taken that night. Taku could tell they were just as much in love as she and Chouji were. When he got back they both laid on the couch looking over the pictures ohhing and awing. After another hour they fell asleep anticipating what would happen in training with Gaara and Temari the next day.

Chapter 7: Dream Journal

That night Taku had her first dream since entering the world she now lived in. (Yes I know you actually have more than one dream every night but I am talking about the kind you can actually remember.) She was walking through the streets of her home town. The same town she was born in and raised in. As Taku walked down the street she saw people that were like family, friends, and enemies alike. They seemed to look right through her as if she wasn't there, like she never really existed there in the first place. Then a woman dressed in all white looked straight at Taku and approached. She seemed to be glowing and looked a lot like Taku's composition teacher. Before the woman was within five feet of Taku she held up her hands and began to speak. "You are now where you belong. You were never meant for this world but that has finally been corrected. You were born here by accident my dear. You were supposed to be the child of the fourth Hokage but he died before his wife was able to conceive. You were to come close to the end of their lives but by a twist of fate your parents died before it was the time you were meant to come. Therefore your spirit had to find a body to reside in. It chose another dimension and a child born on the same date you should have been the child was meant to be a still born but with your soul it lived. The world you now reside in feels like home because it was the place you were meant to be. Realizing this allowed you to stay in the home you were meant for. Other than in dreams you will see this world no longer." She then turned and slowly started walking away. Taku ran after the woman because she had so many questions to ask but it seemed the harder she ran the farther away the woman got even though the woman was only walking away slowly. Then everything turned black.

When Taku's eyes fluttered open she found you laying with Chouji on his couch. Taku instantly ran up to her room to find a pen and paper. She pulled out a notebook and wrote down everything that had come to her in the dream down to the last detail. After that she left her room and walked down to the kitchen. Taku got out bread, butter, eggs and a small lid. She used the lid to put a small hole in each piece of bread and then buttered it before putting it in the pan. When it was in the pan she took an egg cracked it and dropped it in the hole she made in the middle of the bread. Then she got out some different fruits to cut and slice it while the egg bread was cooking. A few minutes later Chouji walked into the room rubbing his eyes. The smell of food had woke him from his peaceful slumber. "What time is it?"

Taku smiled at him, "Its seven so we have time to eat breakfast and get changed before heading out to the training grounds and my soon to be demise." They both laughed nervously at that, both fearing it might end up being the truth. They were both firm believers in the fact that Gaara could and would kill anyone who pissed him off enough. Taku sighed and put the food on the table. "This is wonderful Taku, thank you for making breakfast." Taku smiled at the love of her life then began to eat, hoping this wouldn't be the last meal she would share with the love of her life. She thought back to her dream, 'everything is perfect here because this is where I belong. I finally found my home.'

"Taku, since you cooked I'll go ahead and do the dishes while you get dressed." She agreed and went up to get into some of her training clothes she then sat and braided her hair in two separate braids, one on each side of her head. Taku sat there looking in the mirror just thinking. Since she had been here she didn't have to dye her hair at all and in fact it was slowly turning to a darker blue. 'I knew I was right to change my original hair color to blue. It seems this was the color I was meant to have here.' Soon Chouji came up to get himself dressed and she went down the stairs to wait on him. When he came back down she took a deep breath and headed toward the training ground hand in hand.

Meanwhile Gaara was already waiting at the training ground and Mitsumi was hiding in a tree with a video camera. She then turned it on and spoke directly into it. "Hello, I am Mitsumi and today is the fifth of November. To the English it is known as Guy Fawkes day.

Remember, Remember the fifth of November,  
The gunpowder treason and plot,  
I see of no reason why the gunpowder treason,  
should ever be forgot.  
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,  
T'was his intent,  
To blow up the king and parliament.  
Three score barrels of gunpowder below,  
Poor old England to overthrow:  
By gods providence he was catched,  
with a dark lantern and burning match,  
Holloa boys Holloa boys make the bells ring.  
Holloa boys Holloa boys God save the King!  
Hip hip hurrah!

Yes, I realize I am the only one who celebrates holidays of foreign countries but you guys should try it. It is so much fun! (Sorry I had to put this in I watched V for Vendetta last night and fell in love with the rhyme.) Anyway back to the reason I am making this video. Last night a very dear friend helped me out by hooking me up with a guy perfect for me. Unfortunately though, this friend has now become number one on that wonderful guy's hit list because she followed us and took a candid photo right before our first kiss. I mean this is the first kiss for both of ever." Mitsumi then brought the picture up by the side of her face. "I, for my own purposes, am watching and waiting to see what my new boyfriend will do to that dear friend of mine, Taku, when she shows up for training." The camera points to Gaara. "This is my boyfriend, Gaara, he showed up for training early today to be sure he could confront Taku first thing this morning." She does a close up shot of Gaara's face using the zoom lens. "It seems very lucky for her that she hasn't shown up yet because my love has a very angry look on his face." She turns the camera back at herself and focuses it before continuing. "What exactly does he plan on doing? Will Taku even show up knowing Gaara will be here? Will she be brave enough to show up?"

Just as Mitsumi said this she spotted Taku and Chouji coming up the road hand in hand so she turned the camera to focus on the girl walking along as if she had no clue what was about to happen. "Here she comes now. She looks like she is meeting a firing squad doesn't she? I think this is going to be much worse than a firing squad though." 

As Taku and Chouji walked up everyone was already there. First thing Gaara walked over to her grabbing her arm and growling under his breath, "You will be training with me today." With that he dragged Taku to the other side of the clearing. As he walked he said in a very low voice, "Thank you for that picture. Now I have something to remember my first kiss by. Tell no one I said this though I will go easy on you but I do have a reputation to keep." Unknown to him though Mitsumi had captured the full confession on tape. When they got to the other side of the clearing the two of them faced off. Taku fought valiantly but with Gaara's skills and considering she were learning everything from scratch, she just couldn't help but lose pretty badly. The sand came around her pinning her legs as she got a swift punch to the stomach though she knew Gaara was holding back a lot it still hurt.

Taku kept on fighting trying her hardest and never giving up .She punched, kicked, threw weapons, and used every Justus that Shikamaru had taught her but it just wasn't enough. She had scratches on every inch of exposed skin from the sand rubbing against her. She fought with absolutely everything she had and in an hour she fell to her knees unable to continue. "I'm finished Gaara, my body really can't take a beating like this I have to learn everything from scratch you know." He walked over and gave her a helping hand. He walked her back over to the others who were sitting around under the trees eating lunches of instant Ramen that Temari had bought. High in the treetops close to where the two of them had been training Mitsumi turned her camera to face herself yet again.

"This tape shows a lot about the people in it. Gaara as you can tell is as grateful to Taku as I am even though he refuses to show it. This tape also shows that the sweet and innocent Taku is also very strong. She has to learn everything the others learned in school basically on her own and after only one training session she held her own with Gaara for a full hour." She turned the camera back at the group sitting under the trees using the zoom lens to focus on all of them. "Each person in this group is strong in their own right but the strength they have comes from love. Each one of them found love in an unusual place. Temari and Shikamaru found love in people from villages other than their own. Ino found love with a man who is in all ways half beast. Gaara found me, not only from another village but a girl who couldn't pass the test to become a genin. Finally, Taku and Chouji, they found the love that truly can break through anything. Taku is not from this world and used to be able to only visit us in her dreams but their love was so strong that it broke the barriers between worlds and brought her to us. Though they seem like a unlikely couple they have got to be the most perfect for each other out of all the couples in Konaha because of the strength of their love. It doesn't matter to her what Chouji looks like and he doesn't care what dimension she was born in. This must be love in its truest form. So for now I will leave you. This is Mitsumi signing off. Have a good night everyone."

After finishing off her tape Mitsumi ran straight to the Hokage's office to make a special request for the tape she had just made. Back at the training grounds everyone was back at it but Taku and Gaara. Taku realized she had done enough for the day and pushed herself too far. She sat under the tree taking a nap while Gaara watched the others in their sparring sessions. A few hours later Mitsumi came to clearing to bring them all to dinner. Her approach woke Taku and they all headed for a restaurant in the middle of the village. Taku sat by the window and gave the waitress her order. She saw a large television out in the street and began to wonder about it as the waitress brought out the food. Suddenly, she saw the television light up with Mitsumi's face. Taku almost Choked on her food as she saw what was going on. She pointed it out to the others and they all sat there watching the movie Mitsumi had made during their training session that morning. Taku smiled knowing Gaara's evil boy reputation was going to die because of this.

Taku giggled a bit when it got to the part where Gaara admitted his feelings about the picture. She began eating and watching the intense battle between herself and Gaara. Everyone knew he was holding back but even still she was surprised that she lasted as long as she did because he was still very strong when holding back. Naruto who happened to be in the restaurant at the time looked up and said, "if that is how he treats friends who do things that make him happy I would hate to see how he treats his enemies." Everyone in the restaurant laughed at this. At the same time Gaara was blushing furiously. Taku thought in her head that nobody would mistake him for a panda bear right now with cheeks that red, she was thinking back to all the fan art she had seen during her life. This caused a new peal of laughter to erupt from her.

The movie then showed the ending quote where Mitsumi explained that the strength of each of the ninjas came from love. Taku scooted closer to Chouji and slightly kissed him as she began to speak of the special circumstances of your love. She was right Taku really didn't care about Chouji's looks. The thing is though when you are truly in love with someone you stop seeing what the mirror shows them as. You start to see them differently, they say love is blind but the truth is it has the best vision of all because it doesn't see the outside of the person it sees the soul projected to the outside. To Taku Chouji was not fat or even big boned as he called it. To her he had the perfect build for what she wanted and the most handsome face she had ever been privileged enough to lay her eyes on. (This is not a lie. I have seen it myself I would meet someone and think they weren't good looking at all but as I got to know them their appearance changed showing more of what they would look like if the outside matched the soul rather than what was truly there. When you really get to know a person the beautiful can become marred and the ugliest can become very beautiful.)

This is a gift that loves gives us all so we can end up with the people that we truly deserve instead of some beautiful jerk. After the movie finished they all went their separate ways Gaara still blushing red as a tomato. On their way home Taku spoke up, "Chouji, you know she was right. Even if I saw you as the things other people see you as It wouldn't matter. "When I look at you though I see beauty on the outside as well as here," Taku said this while taking her finger and pointing it at his heart.  
"I feel the same about you Taku. Most girls with beauty to match yours have charred hearts. You, your different though. You have a heart of gold." Chouji smiled at her. After the two of them got home they both took showers. Taku went to her room after her shower. She had left her hair in its braids so she just picked out a big shirt and pajama pants to put over her underwear. Taku heard the shower turn off and two doors open and close.

She got off her bed and smoothed down the covers before grabbing the stuffed tiger. She thought the cuter and more innocent she looked right now the better. Hopefully, Chouji would agree to your request. Taku knocked on his door and he said come in. She opened it and stood in the doorway clutching the tiger to her chest. Taku pouted out her bottom lip and widened her eyes using the old puppy dog face. She also decided sounding like a four year old might help her plea. "Chouji, can I pwease sweep wif you tonight?" He smiled at her and nodded. Taku screeched and ran in jumping on his bed and bouncing before slipping herself under the covers next to him. Taku snuggled up her back to his chest and his arm over her waist. Lying in this position she soon found herself asleep and in a dream once again.

Chapter 8: Powers Revealed

Taku saw a younger version of herself sitting in the middle of the woods eyes closed. She just sat there cross legged as if she were searching inside herself for something. The younger Taku then spoke up, "Ok, daddy you are in the third tree that way." her finger pointed instantly and she saw a man jump from the tree laughing. He looked young and happy, with blonde spiky hair. "Now mommy you're in the first tree top branch right over there." Her small finger pointed again and a beautiful woman, with dark blue hair and violet eyes, jumped from the top branch of the tree the younger Taku had pointed at. Both adults laughed and Taku's mini me stood up screaming happily, "I did it! I did it mommy aren't your proud!" The man then handed her a kunai.

"My dear sweet daughter do you know what this is?" The little girl looked the weapon over and saw the seal drawn on it. She smiled as wide as she could knowing her daddy couldn't trick her.  
"This dear father is just a normal Kunai. Not the kind you use in your Shunsin no Justus (to those of us who don't know Japanese its body flicker) See daddy the seal isn't complete on this one its missing pieces." 

The man laughed again, "That's correct my little Takumari. You know you are very smart for your age but the true question is can you complete the seal?" Taku saw the younger version of herself take out some paint from her bag. She finished off the seal and Taku looked down at it memorizing every detail. "Very good my child. Now can you tell me if you have learned your mother's techniques yet?" The little girl smiled and did some hand signs then said sokimi no Justus (for everyone out there I made this up because I don't have any idea how to speak Japanese other than a few words) Suddenly, storm clouds filled the sky and a shot of lighting shot down to the ground in front of her younger self as the wind picked up. It was like the world around her had just went completely insane. "Great job kiddo your just as good as your mother at that."

"Alright Takumari, my sweet daughter, and Yondaime, my loving husband, its time to go home for lunch." It was the woman who spoke. The woman who looked so much like herself it was kind of scary. The younger Taku walked up to her and took her hand in one and the man called Yondaime's hand in the other. They almost looked like a happy family but it seemed there was still something missing.

"Mommy, why did you name me Takumari? Daddy when are you going to teach me the Rasengan?" Yet again they laughed.

Her mother started and answered for them both, "You were named after your great grandmother just like I was named after my great grandmother Hitomi. As for your father teaching you that very dangerous move," She turned to glare at the man she had just called your father, "He better not even try teaching you that until you are accepted into the chunin exams because I will not have you learning such a dangerous technique until your ready and will need to use it."

The younger version of Taku looked down and pouted, "Oh man I was hoping you would give in this time mommy. I still love you anyway though. Lets have Ramen for lunch! Please?" The seemingly happy family walked of into the distance hand in hand very happy indeed. Soon the figures faded from Taku's vision and the scenery soon followed leaving her in darkness. She slowly woke up in Chouji's arms. Taku lay there going over every detail of the dream in her mind not wanting to forget a single thing. The version of her in that dream seemed to be about seven or eight and already able to master something like controlling weather Justus. Taku started thinking about her dream last night. Could this have been what her life was supposed to be, instead of having an abusive step father? The biggest question in her mind though was, if she had lived that life the one she was meant to have would she still have ended up with Chouji? She thought about that question and decided if she wouldn't have fallen in love with Chouji after living that life she was happy she was sent somewhere else. Even having loving parents like that wouldn't come close to the love she felt with Chouji. Taku slipped silently out of his arms and walked to her room where she got out the notebook she would now be considering her dream journal. Taku wrote down every single detail of the dream and even drew a picture of the seal she saw on the Kunai. She also wrote down the Justus she had saw her younger self perform wondering if the dream was real. If her dream was real then obviously this Justus would work. Taku would just have to try it out on the next training day.

She walked downstairs to make breakfast. Taku looked through the fridge and decided to make cinnamon apple pancakes. She grabbed all the ingredients and started baking the cinnamon apples. Taku started on the pancake batter too. When the apples were done She chopped them up and threw them into the batter adding a little extra cinnamon in the batter. She then started to fry them on the griddle. Upstairs the smell of the frying pancakes reached Chouji awakening him. He lay in bed thinking, ' what did I do to deserve such a wonderful person in my life.' He then got up and met said person downstairs. "Good morning my love," he said coming behind her and putting his strong arms around her waist.

"Morning Chouji dear. Why don't you set the table and get out some toppings and pour us some milk. I almost have these finished." He did as he was told and they both sat down to the wonderful breakfast she had made. "I was thinking Chouji why don't I make a roast for tonight and we can invite everyone over for a party since tonight is Gaara and Temari's last night in town. What do you think good idea or bad?" He looked at Taku and finished chewing his food before answering.

"I think that is a wonderful idea." After breakfast Taku got out a huge crock pot and put the roast in. She then started to peel and cut carrots and potatoes to put in it. After half an hour of peeling and cutting she put the vegetables in. Finishing off she cut a few slices of onion and put them on top adding flavoring to the dish but in a good place to pick them out in the end. Then she went to the phone and dialed Gaara and Temari's number at the hotel. It rang three times before Gaara picked up asking what this was about. "Hey Gaara, this is Taku, since this is your last night in town me and Chouji thought it might be a good idea if you guys came over for a party tonight."

"Yea we are definitely in, but anyway did you hear about what happened last night?" After he heard her confused denial he continued, "Someone blew up a shack outside town last night it was old and abandoned so nobody got hurt but it definitely caused a commotion exploding at eleven at night." From the other line Gaara heard her giggles.

"Don't you understand Gaara? It was Mitsumi. She is the only person who celebrates other countries holidays and yesterday was England's Guy Fawkes day. It is a holiday about a guy who tried to overthrow the British government by blowing up the parliament building and the king. Most people who celebrate that holiday now just have to blow something up on November the fifth." They both had a good laugh at her absolutely correct assumption. Next Taku called Mitsumi congratulating her on her accomplishment and then finished off by calling everyone else they were inviting that night. After that was done she walked to the living room to tell Chouji the Guy Fawkes day story. Taku finished with, "Of course most people only blow up a can or soda bottle or something. Very few I have heard of ever blow up an actual building." Taku began laughing again and buried her head into Chouji's shoulder. She could feel his body shaking with a laugh as well. Suddenly, all the laughing stopped and she looked up into his beautiful eyes. They leaned in and she kissed him he licked her lips asking for entrance and she allowed it. They both explored the insides of the others mouth for the first time. Taku felt as if fireworks were going off in her head. It was wonderful, magical, everything she thought it would be. Chouji then started to kiss the side of her lips then moved to her cheek and jawbone then finally headed down the line of her jaw trailing kisses onto her neck. Once he got there he kissed sucked a little and lightly nipped her neck making her moan in response. Taku had never been kissed like this before and she was in heaven. While she and Chouji were giving each other hickeys, The beginnings of a rainstorm came from the outside.  
The rain began to patter out a special tune that only it could. Inside the house though Taku and Chouji were completely oblivious to everything outside.

The window began to look like the inside of a waterfall and finally something interrupted the best make out session Taku had ever had in her entire life. A streak of lightning illuminated the entire sky for just a second the now darkened sky and was followed by an extremely loud bang of thunder that startled her to say the least. Taku let out a small scream and jumped into Chouji's lap from her place beside him on the couch. Soon the windows stopped rattling from the power of the boom. After a few minutes they both realized what had happened and they began laughing. "You know Chouji," Taku said between bursts of laughter, "They say that laughing is the best medicine. It also is the second best for of exercise. Therefore since coming here I have become more powerful and healthier." The laughter in the room didn't die down for a very long time.

Finally, when the last traces of laughter were gone from her lungs she stood up and walked to the fridge. "Hey Chouji how about some turkey and cheese melts for lunch?" He agreed and she began to cook while he set up the living room for their party that night by moving out all the furniture accept the sound system for music. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Taku grabbed the bread and threw it in the toaster making three sandwiches for Chouji and one for herself. Taku reached up into the cabinet and pulled out some potatoes flour and some seasonings. She cut the potatoes in wedges. After the bread was toasted she threw on the turkey and a few pieces of Swiss cheese then put them in the oven she had already pre heated to 350 degrees. Taku took the potato wedges she had cut and covered them in a mixture of the flour and seasonings she had grabbed. After finishing this she put them in a pan with heated oil. Taku fried up the potato wedges and pulled the sandwiches out of the oven when the meat was heated and the cheese was melted. She then grabbed some ketchup from the fridge and threw everything on the table.

Chouji walked in tired from his work and looked at the table smiling. "Wow, Taku you never cease to amaze me with your cooking skills. You turned a normal snack into a full blown meal." She smiled at him and told him to dig in which he did with gusto. His first bite of the potato wedge had him sitting there with his eyes closed and smiling while slowly chewing which is very odd for Chouji. "I think I have found a brand new favorite food. These are so delicious. Forget potato chips I want to carry these around all the time." This comment of course elicited a new round of laughter. After the two of them were finished eating she checked on the roast, which was slowly cooking to perfection, then she decided to decorate the house for tonight. Taku went up to the attic and found some stringed lights and brought then down she used the string lights to decorate the walls and then she ran out to the store. There she bought a few more CDs, a strobe light, and some streamers along with a large poster board and paint. When she reached home she handed Chouji the streamers, CDs and strobe light. Taku explained to him to put them up but to leave the space on the wall right across the room from the door completely unobstructed. "Why do you want me to leave it so they can see it Taku?"

"Just trust me Chouji," she said, "I have a special surprise for that space." She then grabbed up the photo album she was keeping all the pictures of the couples in, and ran up to her room locking the door and pulling the curtain closed. Taku then pulled out two of the pictures mixed her paints and put on a large t-shirt she didn't mind ruining, she ran her hand over the brushes she had picked up and chose a rather large one. Slowly, the brush she picked out had laid a base on the canvas and she picked up a small more detail oriented brush. (Yes, I know painting normally takes longer than this but you picked up quick drying paint plus its my story and I can do whatever I wish muahahaha.) Taku began working on very small details her brush making short quick strokes and she used her own knack for accuracy and the ninja speed to quickly finish this. Three hours later the photos had been copied off to the canvas. The picture of Temari and Shikamaru was in the bottom left hand corner (from your perspective.) And the picture of Gaara and Mitsumi was in the bottom right hand corner. The picture of Temari and Shikamaru had them sitting in a field Temari between his legs both stretched out and his arms around her waist. The picture of Gaara and Mitsumi was a different one where they were in the middle of the kiss on her door step. Taku then began working on the words that would reside above the paintings she so painstakingly did. The poster soon said in red lettering with a black outline, "Gaara and Temari return soon we will all miss you!" Taku realized it was an hour before the party time so she ran downstairs with it and hung it up.

Before she could run back up the stairs to get ready for the party Chouji saw the masterpiece she had created. "Oh Taku, I had no idea you could paint like this. Its amazing everyone will absolutely love it. Oh crap its an hour to arrival time. Come on girl lets go get dressed." He said this as he walked up and kissed her again. They both hurried and got dressed. Then she ran back downstairs and set the table serving out the roast that had been slow cooking all day. Taku noticed that while she was hard at work on her painting Chouji had made a wonderful cake that said about the same thing her poster did. Taku giggled and thought to herself, 'great minds think alike.' Soon everyone started to arrive and after they had admired Taku's poster she ushered them into the kitchen for the food. The two couples were the last to arrive and after seeing her amazing painting both girls ran up and hugged Taku thanking her profusely for such a kind gesture. Taku just smiled and ushered them all into the kitchen to share the meal. Afterwards they all had a piece of cake and went to the living room to play games until her digestion systems had time to recover.

"Ok we are going to play truth or dare with a twist you put every bodies name in a hat and mixed them up. We will draw a name and that person will be the one we ask truth or dare. If you draw your own name you put it back and we will play until everyone gets asked at least twice putting the names back in after everyone has had a turn ok?" They all agreed and the game began with Temari.  
She pulled a name out of the hat and ended up getting Naruto's name. "Okay Naruto truth or dare?" He picked dare and Temari thought about it for a while, "I dare you to go into that closet with Hinata for seven minutes." Both Naruto and Hinata blushed and walked to the closet and closed the door. Everyone then got up to listen through the shut door. It was all quite at first but soon enough everyone heard Hinata's small voice gasp and begin to moan. That was enough for everyone and they sat back down before calling time on the two in the closet. They both came out clothes rumpled and a tell tale red mark on Hinata's neck. The game continued on like this for an hour. (I just thought I should put that part in because Hinata is so shy and deserves some pleasure now and then. We just have to push Naruto a bit to get it.) When they had finished the game they went over and turned on the strobe light, sound system, and the string lights while turning off the one that actually illuminated the room. The dancing began at seven and the next five hours were spent dancing barely being able to see and all the couples ended up in a corner making out at least once. At midnight though there was a Knock on the door. It was the neighbors telling them to keep it down. That kind of ruined the mood of the party so everyone thanked Taku and Chouji and left Taku let Temari and Gaara keep the poster since they were leaving early in the morning.

Taku and Chouji decided to leave the cleanup until tomorrow. They both took a quick warm shower and got changed her braids had been in this whole time and she planned to leave them in again tomorrow so the next day her hair would look like it had more volume. She threw on one of Chouji's t-shirts not really wanting to go back to the mess that was her room get her pajamas. Taku cuddled up to him again face to face and began kissing him. Half an hour later They were both asleep snuggled in each others arms. 'Such a wonderful day.' she thought, 'I wonder what my dreams have in mind for me tonight though.' With that she fell asleep and once again joined Yondaime in her dreams.

Chapter 9: Tsunade's Question

Taku was in the clearing with Yondaime again. It seemed the both of you them waiting on someone. "Daddy, why do I have to call him Uncle Naruto if he is my age? Why does he live with us too?" (I know many people out there believe that Naruto is the fourths son but in my story he is his way younger brother.)

Yondaime looked down at her then squatted down so they were eye to eye. "Well, you see dear you call him uncle because of the fact that we are brothers. Even though he is so much younger than me our parents had him three months before we were blessed with you my dear. As for why he lives with us, that's a very painful story for daddy to tell but since you asked. Please have a seat Takumari."

Yondaime sighed before he began again. "Before my mother even found out she was pregnant my father died on a very dangerous mission. My mother took this very hard she got very sick before Naruto was born. He was born happy and healthy, but my mother was very weak and did not survive the birth."

"So, daddy what your saying is that we are Uncle Naruto's only family left?" Yondaime nodded. "Then why is his surname different than ours?"

"This is an easier question to answer my dear. I got my fathers surname but since father died before Naruto was born they gave him mothers surname to honor her spirit." You both looked up as a younger version of Naruto came running down the hill. Hey guys sorry I am late I met Shikamaru and Chouji on the way here they are nice.

"No they aren't!! They made fun of my pigtails the other day and called me a baby." The younger version of Taku crossed her arms over her chest in indignation. Yondaime then explained little boys like to pick on little girls and she should think nothing of it instead she should get stronger and beat them up next time they try. The three sat there talking for a little while the conversation kind of blurred like it was on fast forward.

Suddenly, Yondaime spoke up and once again Taku could understand the words, "Alright you two I want you both to learn how to do the body flicker today. Do you have the Kunai with your own special seals?" The younger versions of Taku and Naruto both nodded their heads and held out the kunai for Yondaime to inspect. "Very good, now before going in to battle you will need to use this concealment Justus to hide the seal so your opponent thinks it is just a normal Kunai. Next you will need to throw the Kunai but remember you have to make them think you are trying to throw at them but instead you have to miss spreading the Kunai over the field."

The younger Taku laughed, "That shouldn't be too hard for Uncle Naruto, all he has to do is actually aim at the target." This was the start of a small battle between the young Taku and Naruto but Yondaime picked them both up by their collars and told them to calm down. He continued to teach them both the hand signs and words to say once the Kunai were in place. In no time Taku and Naruto were popping in and out all over the field. He called them both back over and drew another seal on one of each of their Kunai.

"Now adding this seal allows for your friends or family members to summon you in case of an emergency. Transporting you instantly to their aid." With that the dream slowly started to fade and she awoke with a tear on her cheek. 'I could have grown up here happy if something hadn't happened that changed fate.'

Taku slowly got up and walked to her room and grabbed the dream journal. She began writing. She thought back to the time when writing down a dream for a teacher got her an A. It all seemed so long ago even though she had only been here a little over a week. After she finished writing out her dream, including drawing every seal she saw even though they were committed to her memory, she turned to the next page of the notebook.

Taku started to write:  
'One single instant can change your entire life. One single moment has the power to create or destroy you. The future is not written in stone and can be easily changed if people can find the power in themselves to change it. I found that power. I changed my life twice. When my spirit should have died it found a still born baby to reside in, in a different dimension than the one I was supposed to be born in. When life in that dimension was not enough my spirit searched out and found the place where I truly belonged. In one moment I left the world I was born in and knew to go to the one that was truly home though I have no parents here and only the history I could make while dreaming. Now my dreams are using my sleeping moments to change me again. I'm not sure what's happening or if any of this is truly real. I could just be going insane but for some reason I don't believe that, of course I doubt anyone who ever went insane believed it was happening to them. There is only one way to find out though I am going to use both of these techniques in training today. I know I am not very good at writing but I need to try to write this for some reason, a poem for my family':

As the sun set on another normal day,  
In your arms I should have lain,  
Two lives ripped away too soon,  
Two young lovers soon to be,  
My mother and father or so it seems,  
Young and happily in love,  
Ripped away to soon by the forces above,  
The love of you I never felt,  
Because of the bad hand fate had dealt,  
I only see your faces in my dreams,  
ripping the life I thought was mine,  
ruining my ideas and tearing the seams,  
now thoughts of you do fill my mind,  
I only wish I knew,  
If I had been born to you,  
would I now still be,  
In the place I found for me.

Taku then put down the journal and threw it in her weapons pouch. From now on she wanted to have it very close by. Taku and Chouji did the normal ritual of morning. Taku made breakfast the smell woke Chouji and he came ate and cleaned up. Then they both headed off for training. Shikamaru stood up and sent Taku over with Ino so he could spar with Chouji. While sparring Chouji looked over at Taku. To him she seemed different this morning like something was bothering her. He could only guess she was getting bored with him. "Shikamaru, did you notice that Taku has been kind of well distancing herself from me the past two days. I mean sure we obviously had a great make out session yesterday but afterwards she just kind of, I don't know I just think she is getting bored with me."

"Women, how troublesome. Well I'm not sure if she is happy with you or not Chouji. One thing I definitely am not is a mind reader. If you think she isn't so happy with you maybe you should talk to her about it, especially if it is bothering you this much." Chouji nodded knowing in his mind he wouldn't bring it up. 'If I let her know that I have noticed she might decide our relationship is getting boring and dump me. Ill just wait and see if she gets back to normal soon.' After the morning spar they all had lunch. Taku had packed some rice balls for everyone along with strips of cooked meat.

"Hey Shikamaru after lunch can Ino join the two of you. I kind of want to train on my own with a few special Justus I learned. I'm afraid I might do them wrong and someone might get hurt." Shikamaru agreed with Taku and then she walked to the other side of a hill so the others couldn't see what she was doing. Unknown to Taku though Chouji told Shikamaru he wanted to watch to see how well you would do. So Chouji climbed up a tree and watched what Taku was doing from a high branch. He saw her take out the notebook in her bag and paint seals on the Kunai she pulled from her pouch. What he saw next though surprised him so much he nearly fell out of the tree.

Taku had just preformed the body flicker Justus that nobody since the fourth Hokage had mastered. He spoke very quietly to himself in the tree far away, "How did she even know about that move let alone perform it. Maybe Ino was right in the beginning maybe Taku isn't who she says she is." Next he saw the Justus preformed by only Hitomi the Fourths wife. She had created the technique and died before she was able to teach anyone. Chouji had seen enough he ran straight to the Hokage's office. Meanwhile Taku kept practicing the two techniques rejoicing in the fact that she wasn't going insane after all.

When Chouji reached the office he knocked on Tsundae's door. She screamed out, "I am in the middle of paperwork only come in if its very important or you want you head bit off." Chouji took a deep breath before walking in and explaining to Tsundae what he saw. "Thank you for telling me this Chouji if you don't mind could you bring Taku here to me?" He bowed, and walked out heading back to he training grounds and the girl who he wasn't so sure about anymore.

Back at the training grounds they had all given in when a huge storm came around so they sat under the trees talking. "Hey Shikamaru where is Chouji? I thought he was training with you guys."

Shikamaru shook his head, "he told me he was going to watch you from a tree to see how good you were getting. We haven't seen him since I guess he must have ran off after some more food." Soon afterwards you three saw Chouji walking up the road with a blank expression on his face. This made Taku curious because normally when he saw her he had at least a little bit of a smile.

He passed by their friends and stood straight in front of her and said in a toneless voice. "I have orders to take you Lorraine Westley to The Hokage's office immediately." Taku looked at him seriously confused, since when did anyone especially Chouji use her real name. Everyone had called her by her nickname since she got here. Taku looked over and saw the confusion in her friends eyes too. Chouji seemed to be acting very cold to her. Thinking this couldn't really be Chouji she stood up to follow hoping to find out what this imposter really wanted. Just as he said though he led her straight to Tsundae's office. When Taku walked in the first thing out of herr mouth was, "Somebody is posing as Chouji why would they do that? Why would anyone trying to convince me he was Chouji act so cold toward me? Did you really send him?"

Tsundae raised her hand cutting Taku off. "Taku that really was Chouji. He saw something on the training field that truly disturbed him. He came to me to tell me about a few moves you did back there and I myself am curious to ask you about them. Can you tell me how you knew about and preformed two very difficult moves that nobody has been able to master since the fourth Hokage and his wife?"

Taku looked Tsundae in the eyes knowing she couldn't lie. "The last three nights I have been having some really strange dreams. Those moves came to me in the dreams and well I tried them out to make sure they were real and I wasn't going insane. Though it is possible I still could be." Taku took the notebook from her pouch and handed it to Tsundae. "I wrote down each dream in here after I had them. Read them for yourself and see what you can make of them." While Tsundae was reading the dreams Taku had written down Chouji waited in the waiting room. He wished to speak to Tsundae after she was finished with Taku so he could find out who or what she really was.

After reading each page including what Taku wrote after her dreams and the poem she looked up at Taku. "Your not going crazy Taku. There are things in here you couldn't know about Yondaime and Hitomi the people who were meant to be your mother and father. For instance nobody except myself, the frog hermit, and The last Hokage knew about Naruto being his younger brother. We kept that fact completely hidden. Another thing you knew was that your mother was three months away from her due date when she was killed Naruto had been born the day before that." Taku looked up at her with a question in her eyes as Tsundae handed her the book back. A single tear slid down her cheek. Tsundae automatically knew Taku was thinking about Chouji's reaction to her. "I'm sorry about his coldness my dear but after seeing you do those moves he got extremely confused just as anyone would. He wasn't sure any longer that you truly were who you said you were."

Another tear slid down and then her face turned stone cold. All Taku could think about was that he didn't trust her. "Tsundae are there any empty apartments open currently? Suddenly, I'm not feeling exactly comfortable with my living accommodations."

"I'm sorry but at this time nothing is available. I'm sorry Taku." Taku thanked Tsundae and left. "Thank god she didn't call me on my bluff we have five places available but I really want her and Chouji to make up they are such a charming couple."

As Taku walked from the Hokage's office she saw Shino walking down the street. Taku remembered that he didn't offer a room at first but she decided to take a chance anyway. "Shino, can I stay at your place for a while? I wouldn't normally ask but Chouji did something that really hurt me today and I really don't want to be there when he gets home." Shino agreed and walked to Chouji's house with her to pick up her stuff. Taku tore a page out of the notebook and left it on the table with the rest of the money she owed Chouji. It was a little over half of everything she had but she didn't want to feel as if she owed him anything. Taku and Shino then left to set her up at his house.

Chouji walked into the Hokage's office as soon as he was sure Taku was gone. "Alright Tsundae who or what is she really?" Tsundae just got an angry look on her face at his appearance. He could tell from the get go that this wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting.

"You idiotic moronic imbecile how could you! She came in here confused and upset thinking you were a damn imposter because of how coldly you treated her. Before she walked out of this office she realized you were acting that way because you didn't trust her. Right now I want to ring your stupid neck and pop that idiotic head like a pimple! She shed two tears for you before all emotion was wiped from her face. It was like she lost that little light inside of her." Tsundae then sat down in her chair with a sigh. "She lost the light of happiness Chouji, that light of love that is normally sparkling in her eyes. You screwed up big time buddy, before she left she asked if there were any empty apartments here. Luckily I lied to her and told her no because I wanted the two of you to make up. Chouji she didn't know anymore than you did about those moves she had seen them in dreams and decided to try them out to make sure she wasn't losing her mind. Now, if I were you I'd try to find her and get on your knees and beg her to forgive you before its too late."

Chouji sat there for two full minutes before everything that Tsundae had just said sunk in. Once it did though it took hold of his mind with a vengeance. He just knew that he had to find Taku. He ran all the way to his house but by the time he got there it was too late. It was as if all traces of her were taken away except for the money on the table and the note she left behind.

The note read:  
Chouji,  
I am sorry that you didn't love me enough  
that you could trust me. I have found another  
place to stay and left the money to pay you back  
for all you have done for me. Goodbye Chouji.  
Sincerely,  
Lorraine Westley

Chouji dropped to his knees and began to cry. He knew ninja were not supposed to show emotion but he felt like his heart had been completely ripped to shreds from the inside out. He cried so hard and for so long that he passed out right there on the kitchen floor clutching the note to his chest.

Over at Shino's house Taku was dressed in her pajamas and she was telling Shino about what happened today. "You see Shino I have been having these dreams lately that have told me I was actually meant to be born here. Dreams that say I was supposed to be born as the child of Yondaime and Hitomi, and by the way until I talked to Tsundae today I had no idea who Yondaime actually was. I knew things from those dreams I couldn't have found out. Secrets that almost nobody knew. Also, I saw myself learning their techniques. Today at the training ground I decided to try them out to see if my dreams were correct or to find out if I was going insane. To me that only thing that could prove I wasn't was to be able to do the moves I saw in my dreams. Chouji saw me practicing and suddenly didn't trust me and ran to Tsundae thinking I was a spy or something. He was so cold toward me and it hurt so much."

Shino looked at her, "Why didn't you tell him about the dreams? I mean he is the closest person to you here in this village."   
"Shino, I was planning on telling Chouji after I found out if I was going crazy or not. I just had to confirm my own sanity first before I could talk about it."

Shino nodded and took Taku to the guest bedroom. Before closing the door he added, "Get a good nights rest Taku things may look different in mornings light. These things normally do." Taku fell asleep thinking that Shino was very wise for someone his age. Soon though she was back in the forest clearing with the man who was meant to be her father.

Chapter 10: A day away from everything

Taku's dream began with her and Naruto sitting in front of Yondaime. She seemed older now, about 14. "Soon the two of you will be entering the chunin exams. People will try to trick you inside of it. Today I am finally going to teach you my Rasengan technique and a special one your mother worked up Takumari. So are the two of you ready? We will start with the one Takumari's mother created. Now this is a different form of the storm Justus it allows lightning to rain down from a completely clear sky to hit enemies who are trying to deceive you or friends that aren't really on your side. Its really not that powerful but you will be able to pick out your true friends and it will give you time to escape by knocking out your enemies and if they are disguised, when knocked out it will show who they really are." He showed them the signs and told them what to say then had them try it one at a time. Naruto tried first and failed so he walked to the other side of the field to continue working on it. Taku on the other hand got it on the first try. The lightning rained down to the ground. Two bolts shot towards the two people she knew she could trust and missed them by three feet. "Very good my child," Yondaime began to speak. "You know your mother would be very proud that you could master her technique so easily."

The younger version of Taku looked up into Yondaime's crystal blue eyes. Taku could see them watering even though he would not let a single tear escape. "Daddy, its ok. Mommy did see me because I can feel her. Even though her and little brother were forced to leave us and go to heaven they are waiting there for us, and watching over us until the day we can meet them. Mommy wouldn't want you to be sad, daddy, she would want you to smile. You don't smile nearly as often as she would like."

Yondaime bent down and hugged Taku's younger version, "I know my dear, I know. Its just that daddy finds it a little bit harder to smile with mommy gone. Do me a favor sweetie. You are such a good painter can you paint me a picture of us all together as a happy family out in the meadow. Daddy needs a little reminder of the good times so he can smile more when he remembers mommy."

"Alright daddy, I'll start working on it right away. I love you so much." Taku threw her small arms around his shoulders and he hugged her back and finally let a single tear slip down his cheek before the scene faded into nothingness. 

When her eyes slid open she just lay there staring at the ceiling and thinking. Then she began talking to herself out loud. "Daddy, if only you could have lived so I could have been with you. The least I can do for you though is to paint the picture you wanted. I feel like I owe you something, because I have a feeling you and mommy are sitting there in heaven giving me these dreams." (Yes, I know it does not seem like a 17 year old girl should still call her mother mommy but right now she has been through a lot and she is feeling like the little child in her dreams. Plus in some cases the words mommy and daddy never go out of style ) Taku used her silence to her advantage picking up her paints and the money she had left and sneaking out of Shino's house to buy more supplies. Taku went to the store which had just opened as the sun rose. "I know I really should be saving this money but somehow it just seems to important to pass up."

Taku had already written down everything from her dream and held the little notebook in her weapons sack. She put her hand over it as if she could feel her parents presence urging her on. Taku went in and bought a large canvas the rest of the paint she would need and something to snack on as she worked. Then she set out for the meadow She always saw herself training in her dreams. As she set everything up she knew this picture wasn't going to hold meaning just her and her parents. 

Taku started by mixing the colors and getting the background down. Every tree and every flower covering the portion of the meadow she was painting soon found their perfect twin on her canvas. She paid special attention to the colors and soon followed by taking out a pencil and sketching on the dry paint. Through the sketches the figures of her father and mother soon appeared on the canvas. Taku's mother's belly was protruding showing her late stages of pregnancy and soon their images were soon followed by Taku and Naruto pulling on her fathers arms. Every single face had a smile except her father who had his head thrown back in laughter. Taku knew by the time she was done this was going to be the best painting she had ever done.

Meanwhile Shikamaru and Ino were getting worried. They went to talk to Tsundae this morning and found out what had happened. They knew you very well and were afraid Taku had done something stupid because they knew she would be hurt from Chouji's mistrust. They ran to Chouji's house hoping to see them both talking it out but were shocked at what they truthfully saw. There was Chouji still lying on the kitchen floor curled in a ball clutching a piece of paper to his chest. Even in sleep his face wore a pained expression. They could also see the tear stains running from his cheek to the floor. Shikamaru walked over to the sink and filled up a bowl of water and walked back over to Chouji.

Chouji suddenly busted awake a shock had just went through his system. It took him a moment to realize that the shock happened to be freezing cold water his best friend had poured over him. "She's gone. She left me here with a note. She left. I have no idea where she is. She left me Shikamaru." The tears he thought were gone welled up anew and began pouring fourth blurring his vision. Because of this, he never even saw Ino's hand quickly heading toward his cheek.

"Chouji, more than likely she is staying with one of our friends I'm going to go call them and see if anyone let her stay there last night. By the way trust me Chouji you will thank me for slapping some sense into you later." Shikamaru sighed, he got up from his squatting position next to Chouji and starting making him some breakfast. By the time he was done Ino walked back in. "Shino says he saw her right after she walked out of the Hokage's office. She stayed with him this morning but she had already went out by the time he woke up this morning. Another thing he mentioned was that they had a long talk last night and she realizes that some of the mistrust was her fault but she still wasn't at the point of wanting to talk to Chouji yet. He said we should give her the day to herself to clear her mind." Chouji just sat there the entire time looking like a five year old who just saw his puppy get run over.

They forced him to eat and walked around the house trying to get a response out of him. Nothing but mentioning Taku's name would work. They tried taking that route by telling Chouji about what Tsundae had told them. Shikamaru talked to him as Ino went to fix lunch, "You know we went over to talk to Tsundae this morning. She told us a little of what Taku told her yesterday, would you like to hear about it Chouji?" Chouji lifted his head to look Shikamaru in the eyes. Shikamaru took this as a yes. "Well, she said lately Taku had been having these weird dreams telling her she was really supposed to be born here and in those dreams her parents were teaching her techniques. She thought she might be going insane so she didn't say anything to you about but she kept a dream journal and decided to test her sanity." After hearing this Chouji only felt worse. He was beating himself up for not believing in her and treating her so coldly. More than anything in the world he wanted to apologize and make it up to her.

She continued with her sketches. Taku began placing gentle strokes of paint on the figures she had drawn. The painting looked so realistic by the time she was finished with the figures. Taku had painted the sun close to setting and made the shadows long. To her it was a symbol in her painting because this was the shadow of what her life should have been. Taku looked again at the figure of her mother. One long fingered hand gently caressing her protruding stomach. Taku's father, looked as though he was enjoying himself and she could almost hear his laughter coming from the canvas. Taku looked down at her and Naruto vying for her daddy's attention. Her eyes started to water up as she looked over the rest of the painting. A young Sakura and Ino sitting down and picking flowers, a young Shikamaru laying in the meadow asleep, and finally a young Chouji chasing a little blue butterfly. She closed her eyes and once again pictured the scene before her before cleaning everything up. It was sunset now and she headed back to Shino's house.

He was sitting down eating some instant Ramen when she walked in and invited her to grab some herself. That was when he saw what was in her arms, being carried so gently. "Wow, this is an amazing painting. You expect the people to just walk right out and ruffle your hair. Your amazing Taku. I must ask though what brought on this painting?" Taku told Shino about the dream she had last night. Telling him the words her father spoke before a tear rolled from his eye. "Very interesting, so why put in Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Chouji?" She had to think a minute before answering.

"To be honest it was what my father said about the happy times. Ino and Sakura used to be friends in the good times. As for Shikamaru and Chouji, you don't see one without the other and well Chouji is the biggest part of most of the good times I have really had. I still love him Shino, I always will. I can't help it he hurt me so much but he is still the best thing that ever happened to me. I guess I'll just have to leave town." Shino took off his sunglasses and looked her in the eye.

"Listen Taku. You don't have to leave. Chouji feels the same way about you. I got a call this morning from Ino. She and Shikamaru were worried about you and Chouji so they went to his house. They found him lying on the kitchen floor. He looked like he had cried until he passed out and he was still holding the note you left him to his chest. They said he is like a child that just saw something unspeakable. He hasn't said a single word all day just sitting there either crying silently or sulking. He is beating himself up over this, big time. I think we need to pack up your stuff and walk over there so the two of you can talk this out." He stood up and replaced his sunglasses. "Oh, by the way, bring that painting I think that is something Ino really needs to see."

Taku got up and packed up her things. Shino walked beside her a tower of silent strength. She had no idea how this was going to turn out but she was glad either way that she had Shino beside her. He always seemed strong to her and wise as well. Him being there would help her keep from breaking down. Once again she put your hand over the notebook in her weapons pouch as if she could draw strength from your parents through it. When she walked in you saw Ino fixing food for Chouji and everyone else. Then Taku saw Shikamaru trying to talk to Chouji who was sitting with his head in his hands. Taku walked in front of him a in a whisper like voice said his name. The instant he looked up he fell to his knees grabbing her legs. "I'm so sorry Taku. I was crazy to ever think anything bad of you. I was so scared you would never come back. I'm so sorry. I love you Taku please, god please forgive me." He was crying as he clutched her legs and she looked over at Shino.  
"Doesn't look like I had to do much talking huh?" Taku leaned down to Chouji as everyone else went into the kitchen to look at your painting. "Chouji I forgive you. That was a horrible way to treat me though but I love you and I can't blame you for not trusting me completely because I was hiding something from you. I'm sorry too Chouji." Taku gave him a hug and he pulled back and placed his lips on hers. He held her tighter and kissed her like she had come back to him from the dead. Taku then put her arms around his neck and licked his lips. This time she wanted to start the fun. A few minutes later they heard a cough and looked up to see everyone standing there with a camera. It seemed that this time the flash didn't pull them out of their blissful state.

"Now that your fight is over,:" Ino began. "Take a look at this Chouji. This is what Taku did with her day away from you." Everyone looked to see Ino holding Taku's painting up. "I'm sorry Taku that you didn't get to experience this life first hand but this is amazing, and I think you should tell Naruto. I mean he doesn't even know he has a big brother. Well, had a big brother. I think this would really make his day."

Taku smiled, "I'll do it tomorrow after training and thank all of you for your help. We both really appreciate it." Soon everyone including Chouji and Taku had ate and then everyone started to leave. The first thing she did after the last visitor walked out the door was jump on Chouji. "I'm sorry about being so distant but I was thinking that I was going insane. Trust me it isn't a very comfortable feeling. Now for something I have been dying to do." With that she left a trail of kisses from his lips to his earlobe where she nibbled a little bit. Slowly she turned her attention downward kissing behind the ear and leaving a trail down his neck to his collar bone where she nibbled and sucked until he had a huge hickey there.

Taku looked at her work and smiled. "Now that is what I call payback." This comment ended with Chouji tickling her. Soon they both took a shower and went to his room. When they got there she smiled at him yet again as she snuggled up with him under the cover. The two of them had worked together earlier to hang the picture she painted exactly where the poster used to be. Taku sighed and fell asleep cuddling up with Chouji. That night her dream was a bit different.

Chapter 11: Naruto's breakdown

Taku was somewhere dark. Everything around her was completely shrouded in darkness she could see nothing but herself. She seemed to be giving off some sort of glow allowing only her to be seen. The first thoughts to come to her mind were, 'If I am in enemy territory they can see me but I can't see them, this is not good, this is very not good. Must keep my wits about me.' After a few minutes of standing on guard in this complete darkness she saw another glowing figure approach. As soon as she could see the features of the person she hit her knees bowing. It was Yondaime. Yes, she should have been born as his daughter but she wasn't, it only felt right to bow down to the fourth Hokage when he appeared to the person she was on the outside. "My darling, please rise. Yes, I may be a figure to be respected out there but in here I am just a man, a man who wanted to see the girl who was meant to be his daughter. I'm very happy you realized it was your mother and I giving you those dreams, for if you hadn't I could only give you more not actually appear to you in your dream. Please have a seat we have much to discuss."

Taku sat down cross legged in front of this man. So many questions were running through her head right now, however she could only find the words to ask a few. "Why have you sent me these dreams? Why not Naruto? What happened to change our destinies? Why are we in complete darkness?" She took a deep breath and opened your mouth again but couldn't find the words she needed to ask the most important question to her. She just didn't know how to ask him if he still loved her even though she wasn't born where she was supposed to be born. It was clear from her dreams that he would have loved her and he would have been proud of her accomplishments had he lived, and she had been born to him and his wife. It just seemed so important to her though for her to know how he felt about her now. She had been born to into a family and only brought pain to them. Would her father hate her for finding another body to house her soul or would he still love her because she was meant to be his? A few tears fell from her eyes as she thought about this question.

The thing Yondaime did next answered that question. He walked up to her and kneeled down to wipe off her tears, then he leaned in and held her tight. "I would love to sit here and just hold my baby girl all day long but unfortunately there are things I must warn you about. Our time grows shorter as the sunrise comes closer." He sat in front of her still holding her hands as if he needed the contact as much as she did. "You have a very important destiny to be fulfilled here and if you hadn't came back this world as you know it could have been completely destroyed. Orochimaru and Itachi are gone, but a greater evil will soon threaten these lands.

I came back in the dreams to teach you the things you were supposed to know but couldn't learn on your own. If I hadn't done this you would soon have felt the bitter taste of an early death. I'm glad everything I showed to you came so easily it shows that even though you haven't been here that long you have the strength you were meant to have. Naruto has learned from other the techniques he should know except for your mothers. Nobody that was not in either of our families could master such difficult techniques. Out of everyone in the village only you and Naruto have the abilities to perform them. The reason you had the dreams is because we could only appear to one person and you needed us more. We are intrusting you with the duty to teach Naruto those moves that he doesn't know."

Slowly both of their forms were fading the glow slowly leaving you soon to immerse them in the darkness. He stood and pulled her up with him since he was still holding her hands. He then tugged one hand and pulled her into a hug. "Before I leave I just need you to know I will always be watching and so will your mother. The two of you are the only things that can stop my temper once it gets started and I love you so much." 

He pulled her in tighter as the darkness enveloped her legs. "I love you too daddy." Taku said this with tears coming down her cheeks.

Her father sighed, "I have longed to hear those words for such a long time .My sweet Takumari." Then he was gone. The last thing that left a lasting image with her as they faded out was the smile and the watering eyes. The sunlight pried into the small space between her eyelids, bringing her back to the present. She had a lot of explaining to do today. Taku sighed and crawled out of bed realizing Chouji wasn't there. That is when the smell hit her. The smell of burning chocolate that can only be created by the cooking of one breakfast food, chocolate chip pancakes. Now more than ever she realized how much she loved Chouji, he made her favorite food for breakfast. She then grabbed a towel and her clothes and ran in to take a shower.

Chouji had woken up before Taku for the first time since she had been living with him. After everything she had done for him he felt the least he could do was make her favorite breakfast for her. He loved her so much and he had almost screwed it all up. "I'm so glad she forgave me for that. I have to make it up to her big time. She deserves better than what I have been to her lately, she deserves much better." He was talking to himself as he poured the batter on to the skillet. He had put in so many chocolate chips that the pancake batter had two chocolate chips for every centimeter of batter. "I hope she likes the breakfast I know how much she loves chocolate." He flipped the first pancake and then heard the shower upstairs start up. He continued cooking thinking about the amazing girl that he loved.

Up in the shower Taku was planning out her day. Today was a training day so she had to go beg Shikamaru to let her have the day off so she could find Naruto and explain some things to him. It didn't seem like a lot when she thought it out but she knew today would be a busy day. Taku got out and dried off while looking in the mirror. When she looked into it she still did not see the beautiful girl everyone else saw, she saw someone completely different. Taku saw herself as someone completely unattractive. As she stood to stare at herself she wondered why Chouji had never made a move on her. Was it because he was too repulsed by her? Taku grabbed her underwear and put them on along with her bra. Taku could see each and every ugly scar that marred her body from the beatings her stepfather had given her. It was true that normally he left only bruises but many times over the years she had fallen on a broken beer bottle, cut herself on the edge of a table or a lose nail, or he wore his rings and broke her skin in a punch. When she looked in that mirror all she saw was the scars, one huge ugly scar, that is how she saw herself. Taku finally pulled on the rest of her clothes and went downstairs with a solemn look on her face.

Chouji had just finished the pancakes and wondered where she was. He had heard the water turn off ten minutes ago and it wasn't like Taku to take so long to get dressed. He walked to the living room just in time to see her walking down the stairs. To him she looked like an angel walking down those stairs even with such a serious look on her face. He fell in love with her all over again. "Hey Taku, I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast I know your going to need your energy today. I remember you saying you would tell Naruto about his brother and your going to have to fend off a wild hyper blonde when you tell him. Come on lets eat." She followed Chouji and after sitting down took her first bite of the fluffy heavenly chocolate filled pancakes. She could only eat three fourths of her first one before she was completely full. (Those of us out there who have had them know that chocolate chip pancakes are the most filling food ever created.) Taku thanked Chouji and cleared the dishes to clean them before calling Shikamaru.

Chouji had just gotten ready for training and was sitting in the living room waiting for the time when the training was scheduled. He heard Taku in the other room picking up the phone. From his seat on the couch he could hear the one sided conversation Taku was having, so it couldn't really be called ease dropping now could it. "Hello, Shikamaru? ...Yea, it's Taku... I was wondering if I could skip out on training for a while... Yeas I am explaining everything to Naruto today and I kind of want to train with him for a while if its ok but only until he masters the moves my dreams showed me... Thanks so much for understanding Shikamaru..." Chouji heard the tell tale click of the phone hitting the base before it was picked up again and a new number was dialed. "Hey, Naruto... Yes this is Taku... I was wondering if you could head over to Chouji's house today there is something really important we need to talk about... No it isn't about the fight Chouji and I had but in a weird way it is kind of connected to that... Thanks Naruto see you soon."

Taku sighed and walked into the living room to see Chouji staring at the entrance she just walked through. "I guess you heard it all. I have a feeling today is going to be a very emotionally taxing day." He smiled at her and held his arms out. Taku went straight to him and cuddled up on his chest wishing she could stay there all day instead of doing what she knew had to be done.  
"Taku, your doing the right thing. This will make Naruto's day to find out he actually has living family even if you weren't born where you were supposed to be. That doesn't matter to any of us, where you were born, you are a part of this world now just like you were meant to be and that is all that truly matters." Taku smiled at Chouji and gave him a sweet kiss before he left to meet his team. Taku was left sitting there alone on the couch playing the waiting game. Basically saying over and over again in her mind 'if Naruto isn't here in the next five minutes I will remove this part of his body.' Taku was finished with the fingers and was working her way through the toes when she heard a knock on the door. She went up to the door and saw a smiling Naruto.

"So, Taku what was so important that you needed to talk ..." His voice suddenly left him as he caught a glimpse of the portrait hanging directly opposite from the house entrance. Naruto walked up and took a closer look. Finally, after a long grueling minute, that to Taku seemed to last a century, he finished his sentence. "... to me about. Taku, can you please explain this painting to me?" She looked at him sadly knowing this was not going to be easy.

"Naruto, that painting is basically why I asked you to come here. Please, have a seat this might take a while to explain properly." Taku sighed and sat in a chair across from the couch he was sitting on. "Naruto, I have been having some dreams lately of the life I should have been leading, well actually the life we both should have had. Naruto you were supposed to be my uncle but I hadn't had the chance to be born yet. The way it was explained to me was that my soul already created and unable to be born in the body that was meant for me went out looking for a child that was supposed to be born at the same time. My soul found a child that was meant to be a stillbirth, a child without a soul and it clung to it. I was born at the same time on the same day I was supposed to be born here but in a different dimension. Naruto, I have been having dreams about a younger version of myself and three special people. Those three special people were my only living family, my father Yondaime, my mother Hitomi, and my fathers brother my Uncle Naruto."

Taku sat there for a moment in silence letting everything sink in before she continued to tell him the story of his parents. Taku felt that Naruto might take it better if she talked about the dream him as if it was a different person. "You see Naruto in my dreams my uncle was living with us. His father had died in battle before he was born and it made his mother very ill. She was heartbroken after losing her husband and died giving birth to her second son. Instead of dying, in my dream Yondaime lived and took in his little brother and three months later his own daughter was born. The two children were meant to grow up together, play together, and train together. Now that I am here my father has come to me in my dreams telling me that the two children have a destiny to fulfill but they can't do it without the techniques I saw him teach us in the dreams. Naruto he wants me to teach you everything he has showed me in my dreams and he wants you to know he loves you. Come look at the painting again and I think you'll understand that these weren't just normal dreams."

Naruto had been quiet during her entire explanation and he silently followed her back to the painting she had created with so much love. He stood there for a moment before raising his hand to the figure of his older brother who was laughing as younger versions of Taku and Naruto were pulling on his sleeves fighting for his attention. His first words were, "This can't be true, we don't have the same last name." He stood there staring as Taku came up behind him and wrapped him in a hug. She knew he would need her support very soon.

"That too was explained in my dreams. You see Naruto, Yondaime has your father last name while you got your mothers. Since you father had died before you were born they decided to honor your mothers spirit by giving you her last name. Also it meant the person who was after my father would never know you were related, minimizing the danger to you as a child." Taku could feel how stiff his body was. She could tell he was trying hard not to cry, to be a true shinobi. "Naruto, I don't care what the ninja rules say. The strongest people out there are the ones who have the courage to show the world they are human through laughter and tears. Showing emotion isn't a fault, it's a gift. After all we are only human. Humans can't hold back their feeling no matter how hard they try, it will just cause a mental breakdown later when the dam breaks because of the pressure behind it. When that happens you will be unable to do anything, especially fight. Did you know even Yondaime knew this? He had a very short temper one of the things he was very well known for."

Taku held him tighter as the damn he had been holding up for so long finally cracked. "He was my brother. I was supposed to know my brother. I wasn't meant to be alone and go through all these struggles by myself. It's been so hard Taku, I wasn't really that great at anything I had to work really hard on my own to get better, I never had any help." He fell to the floor covering his face and Taku followed now going in front of him to hug him. "I never had a family to help me, to love me, I was ridiculed by everyone. I was seen as nothing. I will become Hokage but now for a different reason, I will become hokage to honor my brother instead of to earn their respect. They didn't deserve to be ruled over by my brother, I will do this to honor a great man who was taken out of this world before he was able to be happy. I will become hokage for you Yondaime, my brother." At this point they were both on the floor with tears pouring freely down their faces. Holding on to the family they had just found. "We have a second chance Taku, a second chance to be a family. Thank you brother for giving this wonderful gift to me. I finally have a family." Naruto held on to her even tighter. (I know this doesn't seem like the Naruto you all know and love but I know the kind of person he is. He hides his true feelings behind a smile. This kind of person always has a mental breakdown sooner or later and this was Naruto's. He will soon be back to the number one hyperactive ninja of Konaha I promise.)

After another hour of crying and thanking Yondaime for bringing the two of them back together they went out to get Ramen. They both ordered only one bowl of beef and the shopkeeper looked at Naruto very strangely for this fact. As they both sat there they discussed what she had talked to Shikamaru about earlier that day. "I know this sounds weird coming from a girl who just started learning the basics but I need to help you train Naruto. There are techniques I know that you are really going to need. We will start after lunch by the killed in action memorial rock. Let's see I need to teach you body flicker, you already know dad's other move. Then I need to teach you the two lightning moves mom had. Also, Naruto I wish you could help me out in my training also." They both agreed and headed out to the field Naruto's group trained in. Taku sat him down to put his seals on the kunai that he would be using for his focal points. She was sitting and studying the scrolls he took out for her once in a while trying a move that Shikamaru hadn't taught her already. "Alright Taku done with the seals. What's next?"

"Okay Naruto, this part is a bit tricky. You have to throw the Kunai at your opponent barely missing but making it look like you meant to hit them. This gets them cocky and causes them to underestimate you while your Kunai are being spread over the field. Next you do this series of hand signs." Taku demonstrated for him slowly. "Then for the rest of the battle you can instantly be where ever you threw a Kunai. Try to transport yourself to that one over there." He transported but to a Kunai ten feet from the one she had pointed at. He continued to work on his transportation aim as she studied the scrolls more. By the time he got it right she had worked through five scrolls of techniques, and the sun was setting. "Come one Naruto you can have dinner over at Chouji's house with us. I kind of want to spend some more time with my uncle." They both put their arms over the other's shoulder and headed for Chouji's house.

Once she got there she realized Chouji wasn't at home yet. Taku sent Naruto into the living room to wait for him while she went into the kitchen to start on the food. "Hmm lets see. What shall we make? Taku looked through the fridge and cabinets before she figured it out.

Taku put some hamburger meat on the skillet and began to brown it. (By the way for anyone out there this is my own recipe that I came up with so if you want to use it in real life send me a message and tell me what you thought.) She took out the pepperoni, and tomato sauce and began to make her own pizza sauce. (I normally used canned pizza sauce but I can make my own and there are recipes for it on the net.) She also got out a block of mozzarella and provolone cheese and began to grate it. Soon the hamburger meat was done and she pulled it off the stove drained the grease and put it in a bowl. She then cleaned the pan and put together her pizza burritos. She threw a little hamburger meat on a tortilla then covered the meat with the sauce. After that she threw on the cheese and some pepperoni and folded it into a burrito. Taku then put the folded pizza burrito into the pan to fry it shut. After she finished her second one she heard the door open. A muffled conversation started in the living room but she was too occupied by cooking to hear the words.

In the other room Chouji had just came in to see Naruto. Chouji was a little worse for wear. After Taku had told Shikamaru everything that morning he had decided training every other day wasn't enough anymore and he decided to train his team much harder. "You better go clean up Chouji, Taku is in there making dinner for us. I hope you don't mind that she invited me over she said she wanted to spend a little more time with her uncle. Can you believe it Chouji? After so long with no family I find out in a way that I'm an uncle. I'm so happy." Chouji just smiled. He knew how much this meant to both Naruto and Taku and decided he would forget his selfish desires to have her all to himself and so he greeted his friend and her uncle before going upstairs to clean up. But before Chouji could plant his foot on the first step Naruto spoke up again. "You do realize that now that I am her uncle I have to protect Taku, right? In other words Chouji," Naruto spoke with a deadly look on his face, "If you break my nieces heart I will break your neck." Then his serious conversation was completely ruined by his trademark, "Believe it!"

In the kitchen Taku had almost finished the burrito's when she heard Naurto's trademark phrase. She giggled to herself wondering if he would have ended up this hyperactive if Yondaime had been around. Taku thought about it for a moment and decided he probably would have. Personality is something your born with that is very hard to change. Plus. From what she had seen Naruto acted almost exactly like the man who should have been her father. She finished cooking the main course and pulled out some fruits and veggies making a salad and a fruit tray. She sighed at her completed task then set the table. Taku called in the boys who had been waiting in the living room. She put one burrito on each of their plates to start out with. "Now this is my own dish that I made up and I hope you guys like it."

Later when she was cleaning the dishes she thought back and smiled. Taku didn't mind that neither one of them had complimented her cooking until they were done because after their first tentative bites they were stuffing their faces too fast to do anything else. She was glad she had made so many.

Naruto had already left after giving her a big hug and thanking her for everything she had done for him that day. Taku took a shower and walked in to see Chouji staring at the ceiling. He had already taken his shower while she was cooking. Before she left the bathroom though she had once again looked in the mirror. Taku had decided finally that she would talk to Chouji about something that had been bothering her for a while now. "Chouji?" He looked up at her when he heard her voice. Taku walked over and sat on the bed before continuing and his eyes followed her. "Why haven't you done anything except kiss me? Am I that ugly to you that you can't bear touching me?" Taku looked at him with glassy eyes as he grasped what sje just said.

"Taku how can you think such a thing." He grabbed her and pulled you in close. "You are the most beautiful thing in the world to me and I just didn't want to hurt our relationship by moving too quickly." Their conversation was ended as he wiped the single tear out from under her eye and pulled her in close for a kiss. He put his hands on her hips and kissed all her doubts away. His hand moved very slowly as if he was nervous and moved the lower and to the small of her back. Then he slowly lowered them placing them on your butt and he picked her up. He kissed each of her cheeks still holding her up in his arms. Taku's feet were wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck as he carried her downstairs. Taku had no idea what he was doing but she was happy to just be close to him. He sat you down in the kitchen and pulled out the ice-cream. "Here You go. Ino says that when she feels bad a bucket of ice-cream always helps. I hope it's the same for you too." Taku smiled and laughed and ate a full bowl. After she was done and cleaned up he carried her back up to his bed in the same way he brought her downstairs. "Goodnight my love." He said this along with one last kiss before she fell under the spell of the sandman. (And no I am not talking about Gaara!!!)

Chapter 12: New Friends

That night Taku had a wonderful dream. Not because of her father or mother. It was just a normal dream for once. She sat in the middle of the meadow with a Kimono on twisting flowers into a crown. Suddenly, a small girl runs to her and hugs her. "Mommy is that crown for me?" This little girl had Chouji's brown hair and Taku's violet eyes. She was just adorable. Taku had finished the crown and placed it on her head smiling. "Oh thank you mommy! Mommy, when can I start training like my big brother?

"I'll start training you next year. After your sixth birthday, that is when your brother began and it is soon enough for you." The little girl sighed and got a depressed look on her face. "Your always trying to be better than your brother but honestly sweetheart your too young. Your little body couldn't take the pressure and straining from training. The truth is though that you'll be able to get into the more advanced stuff before your brother though. Girls bodies are a lot different and it makes it easier for us in the areas that call for gracefulness, silence, and gymnastics."

"Okay mommy, I guess I just have to wait. Will you please tell me about uncle Naruto again? Please!" The little girl looked up at her with pleading eyes. Taku smiled down and told the girl who called her mommy the story.

"Long ago Uncle Naruto was a child. When he was young he had no friends, or family and the entire village treated him as if he had a contagious disease. Nobody would even look at him before he joined the ninja academy and when he was there the looks he got were only from scorn. Starting then Naruto found two people actually cared about him. Those two people were the third hokage and his teacher Iruka. Everyone hated him because he held a demon inside him, except these two men. They saw Naruto as the hero he truly was, keeping the demon inside his body so it could not destroy the life they held so dear. Naruto had gotten sick of not being seen so he went off to make trouble, which at the time was the only way people would even look at him. All children crave attention either good or bad attention, they do not care which. Naruto became a pest in the villages eyes because of his pranks, but Naruto was only happy because people were finally noticing him. What he really wanted more than anything in the world was to become respected though and the only way he could think of to do that was to become hokage of the village. So after making it to the level of genin he began working extremely hard pushing himself past his limits and getting stronger everyday. Slowly, throughout the years he began to earn the respect of his peers as he beat the one by one. At the young age of twenty one he honored his brother's life and got the respect he deserved by becoming the village's sixth Hokage. Since that day the village has had a peace treaty with all other ninja villages and we are the strongest out of them all. You see Naruto took it upon himself to change the way things work around here and he himself goes to the village academy to inspire the children. He tells them how difficult it was for him starting out and how hard he worked to get to where he is. The day before he was pronounced as Hokage he married the girl who had believed in him even in the beginning even though she was too shy to show her feelings, your aunt Hinata. Since the day Naruto became Hokage the village has had no missing nins because nobody wants to leave such a wonderful place ruled by such a wonderful man. This is one of the reasons everyone believes that Naruto is the best hokage this village has ever been ruled by. You know though Aunt Hinata has her own story too. You see she was really weak when she was younger and was shunned by her father who said her younger sister was better than her and she was worthless. Seeing Uncle Naruto inspired her and she became stronger. She fell in love with him when she was really young and was always on his side even though she didn't have the courage to speak up. Eventually though she worked up the courage it took to get Naruto to notice her. I was never happier than I was that day." Taku turned your head up to look at the clouds.

"Mommy let's go visit Uncle Naruto! That office seems really lonely when Aunt Hinata is on a mission." Taku smiled and took the little girls hand and the scene faded into the darkness of her sleep. Taku woke to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window. You got out of bed and walked to the dresser. You realized at that point you needed something a little cooler and easier to move around in to train. So before she even thought of making breakfast she ran out to the store. There she bought something completely unlike her.

Taku grabbed all the first aid stuff she would need for her training then she grabbed a few leather shirts that only went just below her chest and a few pair of black shorts to match. As she walked by the belt area she picked up a new belt to attach her weapons pouch to. Taku also bought a gold arm band (they go on your upper arm) Looking through the shelves Taku found a few scrolls of starter techniques that she hadn't seen yet so she bought a few more scrolls for teaching herself and catching up with the others. After she had that all packed up in her new pack she ran over to a store to grab something for breakfast. Taku picked out a dozen donuts and hurried home hoping that Chouji hadn't awoken yet.

Taku got home just as a sleepy Chouji was walking down the stairs. "Hey sweetie, let's get you fed and get you off to training before Ino and Shikamaru come and steal you from me. I didn't have time to make breakfast this morning because I had to pick something up but I hope you like the donuts." They both finished breakfast and then ran to start her days. Before she left though she had fixed Chouji a nice lunch as well as one for herself.

After Chouji had left she went up to her room and changed into her new training outfit. Taku stood there in front of the mirror tracing her more apparent scars. "My scars do not make me ugly. My scars are not who I am, but they did make me who I am. Because of the pain I felt I became stronger. Each scar my step father caused made me cry, it made me feel pain. It's not these scars that make me hurt the most though." Taku said tracing a scar on her shoulder. "The scars that hurt the worst. The scars that hurt even today are the ones he left on my heart. He was supposed to love me, he was supposed to help me when I lost the one person who cared about me in that world. Why is it these scars on the outside are healed while the ones on my heart are still bleeding?" Taku stared in the mirror searching for the answer but she couldn't find it. So instead of standing there and acting like a pathetic child, she let a single tear slip down her cheek as she grabbed her pack and headed out after Naruto.

When she got to his house she knocked on the door and he immediately opened it ready to train. The second he saw her though his jaw dropped to the floor. "What in the heck are you wearing no go inside and change now missy. This is not good. How dare you wear that in front of your uncle!" Taku just smiled and pulled him to the training grounds. Once there they both began to work hard. Separate parts of the field were being pounded by lightning and basic Justus. Taku grabbed out her new scrolls and began to study them practicing the techniques over and over until she had perfected them. After learning about 6 Justus she laid by a tree for a rest. Taku closed her eyes then felt something on her lap. Taku peeked one eye open and saw a little ferret cuddling into her. Taku lifted her hand and stroked his soft fur.

"You know little one. I think it's about time for me to have a pet. I mean I always wanted one." Taku lifted him up and held him in front of her face. For a wild creature he seemed pretty tame to her. "How would you like some food little one?" She pulled a bag of pretzels out of her pack and shared them with the little ferret. It seemed he was a boy and he had taken a liking to Taku. "Okay then, If you want to stay with me I will have to name you. Let's see how about bandit?" The little ferret squeaked at the name and she took this as a yes. Before laying back down she wrapped some bandages around her leg that she cut during training and wrists for support. Taku laid back down stroking bandits hair when she noticed a new addition to the other side of the field. Taku closed her eyes leaving just a little space to see under her lashes as a shy girl watched Naruto's every move.

Under her breath she was urging her on hoping she would approach him. Finally when he took a break to breath she did. She walked up to him blushing and asked him to have lunch with her. He looked over at Taku to see what he thought was her napping under the tree and agreed. Taku smiled as she watched him slowly start to flirt with her even though Hinata didn't quite catch it. As Taku stood up and stretched she used a Justus she had learned to extend her hearing. Taku then heard Naruto finally ask Hinata out. Taku smiled and began to start working with her new ferret teaching him and trying some animal Justus like the ones Kiba uses. She learned it was much easier to train when she had a little helper to cheer herself up. This tiny ferret didn't care who Taku was or what her past was he just knew she was the right person for him to be with. He kind of reminded her of Chouji in that way.

As soon as it started getting dark she waved to Naruto and went home. Taku went in and sat Bandit down and began cooking. She decided to make some cheeseburgers and potato wedges so she could give bandit a few wedges and some plain hamburger meat until she could get him some food of his own. (In my story the stores open and close with the sun.) You was so immersed in her work she never heard Chouji enter the house. Taku had forgotten to change back into her regular clothing so when Chouji came in he was in the perfect vantage point to see the biggest scar she had. It slashed sideways across her back and had been a result of you falling on the corner of the glass coffee table when her step father had connected a punch to her stomach. Chouji walked up to her and traced the scar. His voice sounded deadly when he spoke up, "Who did this to you Taku? How could they?"

"Chouji, that's an old scar that happened a long time ago in a different life than the one I am living now. It's really nothing to worry about I promise." He looked in Taku's eyes then turned her around and kissed every inch of the scar sending shivers up her body. The only thing she could think of right then was how could he put his lips on something so ugly. 

"Taku, I wish my kisses could make this scar disappear for you. I have a felling this and the others little scars on you are what cause your insecurities. I wish that I could simply make it to where none of that ever happened to you but I know I can't so I guess I just have to try to help the healing process a bit." Taku smiled with tears in her eyes as the wounds on her heart finally started to clot and scab over. She knew that healing would take time but thanks to Chouji it had finally started. They both sat down to eat and she put out a bowl for Bandit. "Well look here I believe my beautiful Taku has another admirer. Where did this little darling come from?" Chouji asked this as he bent down to scratch under bandits chin.

"He decided to climb on my lap when I took a break from training in the forest. Isn't he the sweetest little thing?" After eating they all sat down on the couch to watch a movie. Taku leaned into Chouji's chest and Bandit curled up in her lap. When the movie was over she was yawning. They both got up and took turns taking their showers. When she let the water cascade down her body she imagined it was taking away all of the bad memories with the dirt that was getting stuck in the whirlpool that was the drain. Taku knew it would never truly happen but even so she felt refreshed when she stepped out of the shower and got dressed in a pair of pajamas.

They were blue and had clouds and blue butterflies on them. She had bought them in honor of the person in her life that was as gentle as a butterfly. Chouji was the only man for her and she wondered how she had ever had a crush on anyone else as she put her wet hair in a lose braid. Today seemed to go by so fast and so many things had happened but as they say tomorrow is another day. Taku went into the bedroom and laid down with the love of her life who had held off sleep until she had come out of the shower to be with him. Taku cuddled up facing him and Chouji pulled her closer as if he never wanted to let go.

To be perfectly honest she wished he never would. "Chouji you have been there for me from the beginning and I have never loved anyone like I love you. You are the most gentle and kind person I have ever met. To be perfectly honest I am surprised you stayed single long enough to be with me but then again most of the girls around here are very stupid. Please Chouji just hold me forever." Bandit climbed up on the foot of the bed and curled up on their feet. They both looked down and smiled. Chouji wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her tighter to him giving her a long passionate goodnight kiss that if he didn't have to get up in the morning would have turned into a full blown make out session or maybe even something more.

He fell asleep soon and she just laid there looking at the man she loved. The soft lines of his face made him look younger in the pale moonlight. It was so strange how she had such a strong connection with him. Taku even dreamed about a child that looked like she could have been the result of their pairing and she couldn't be happier.

Taku knew that other girls in the village didn't like Chouji because of his weight but she couldn't understand that. To her he was perfect in every way her big soft teddy bear. How could they like Sasuke, a bad boy, over the sweetest man ever to be born. Bad boys reminded her too much of her step father, she would much rather have Chouji any day than someone like her step father. Taku kissed him one last time on the forehead before the darkness found only in sleep could consume her.

Chapter 13: Taku's First Mission Part 1

Taku was back in the darkness but this time she was holding hands with Naruto. "Taku why am I here I remember laying down in my bed and then I'm here holding your hand. What's going on?" At this point two more glowing forms come out of the darkness. Yondaime and Hitomi stood there in front of them.

"I think at this point I can explain that better than my daughter can Naruto. Hello my darling daughter and my dear little brother." They all hugged each other and sat down cross legged. Naruto had a tell tale glitter in his eyes that were a sure sign of building tears. "I'm going to have to speak for your mother tonight Takumari because she is using all her strength to keep us with you guys as long as possible. Now it seems Takumari wanted you to see us so much Naruto that she used her mother's blood limit.

You see their family is famous for the ability to invade the dreams of others and to bring others into their own dreams. Normally it isn't a very effective trait but I think in this case it came in very useful." He hugged Naruto again. "I can't believe my baby brother has grown up so much." Yondaime and Hitomi smiled and looked both teens over. The rest of the dream was spent with them telling Yondaime about the lives they had lived so far. Too soon though the dream faded into the nothingness that came just before dawn.

Taku slowly woke once again to the birds chirping outside her window. She yawned and then noticed that her shirt had ridden up in her sleep as well as a certain persons hand. Taku looked down and blushed seeing Chouji's hand laying across her chest. Taku slipped out of his arms as quietly as she could before getting up and changing into herr training outfit. She walked downstairs and pulled some random food out of the cabinets and refrigerator. She started by frying some bacon and making some biscuits from scratch.

After the bacon was fried she used the grease and some flour to make a nice white gravy. She put the biscuits in the oven and grabbed some eggs and cracked them into a bowl where she used a whisk to scramble them. She pulled out another pan and melted some butter on it so the eggs wouldn't stick then poured the bowlful in. Chouji came in on his cue right when breakfast was done. Taku decided not to mention the position she woke up in this morning as a silent breakfast commenced. They were both still tired from staying up too late last night. Bandit crawled down the stairs and lazily ate the breakfast she sat out for him before crawling on her shoulder and falling back asleep. Taku got up and said her goodbyes to Chouji.

"Alright love, I'm heading out to pick up Naruto and I think I will go by and see if Hinata can train with us today. Hey Chouji let's invite everyone back here for lunch today." He agreed and she ran out the door while he worked on cleaning the dishes. Taku started out her day by running to the Hyuuga compound. The guard at the gate stopped her asking her business. "I came to see if Hinata was available to train with Naruto and me today. Can you please ask for me?" The guard walked off and you leaned against the gate to wait. Bandit lifted his head up and looked at Taku with a bored expression on his face.

Soon Hinata came out to join you and they both headed over to Naruto's house to wake him up. To their surprise by the time you got there he was locking his door and heading out to find Taku. It seemed Taku took longer at Hinata's house than she thought. They all headed out to the training grounds and she decided the first thing she would do there was have her first sparring match with Naruto to see how much her training had helped. Hinata would stand by and stop the match if either one of the two got a little too excited about it.

Taku and Naruto stood facing each other in a fighting stance. The battle began. Naruto made the first move running at her head on like he normally did. Taku did a back flip over him and turned just in time to avoid a roundhouse kick aimed at her head. When she ducked down she lifted up her leg to kick him in the back and it connected. Naruto skidded on the ground and stopped just before hitting a tree. The battle went on like this for a while. Naruto the used his clone Justus and this woke bandit up who had been sleeping on Taku's backpack during this time. He jumped in and she used a Justus to turn him to about ten times his size. Bandit helped her get rid of the clones as she tried to target Naruto. Taku noticed him in a tree about ten feet away and then she pulled out four Kunai and threw them just in time to pin her uncle to the tree.

At this point Hinata called the match off. She knew they both could have continued but they had been at it for a while now and if they continued they might not have the energy she needed to train. Naruto went to his side of the field as Taku pulled Hinata over to hers. Hinata helped Taku train her body to be more flexible until it was getting close to lunch time. Taku then extended the invitation for lunch and they all ran to Chouji's house to get things ready.

Naruto worked on setting the table while Taku and Hinata made special rice balls that looked like all their friends. Soon everyone came to the house and complimented her and Hinata on their accomplishment. The lunch conversation was filled with good humor and laughter. After the meal was over and Chouji and Naruto were cleaning the dishes there was a knock at the door. Taku opened the door to see the Hokage's messenger. He told them all that they were all needed in the Hokage's office where a four day mission awaited them. He told them to pack what they needed before coming because they would need to leave immediately.

When they got to the Hokage's office they all bowed to her setting their packs on the floor. "Hello my chunin." Tsundae began to speak with a smile. "Today you will be taking a c level mission to escort someone back the her home village in the land of lightning. You are to escort her home and make sure she gets there safely in time for her seventeenth birthday in two days. Now without further ado I shall present to you the princess Naomi." (Her name means above all, beauty.) A young girl walked into the room wearing a silver kimono with a rose design and a veil. She nodded her head to the group and they all bowed.

"I would like to thank you all for agreeing to take me home safely. It is an honor for me to be accompanied by such skilled shinobi." Naomi smiled at them all. Her voice was so polite and sweet it sounded like the song of the freest bird to her ears. Taku was the first to regain your senses and tell her the true honor was to be allowed to escort her. She sent Shikamaru as the leader of the group. Chouji, Ino, Naruto and Taku were sent as the basic body guards, and Hinata was sent because she was now an accomplished healer and it never hurt to have one along on any mission. Soon you had all began their journey to the land of lightning. When your group hit the borders of Konaha they all noticed someone was following them. Shikamaru looked back through all the shinobi and they all gave him a slight nod letting him know they knew. Even Naruto had picked up that they were being followed.

They walked along the road ever vigilant. Soon enough they were attacked by a group of about twenty robbers. They were not ninja, just common people who decided to loot, pillage, and murder for a living. After Shikamaru's nod it only took the four of them twenty seconds to slit the throats of every single bandit. Taku then used an earth moving Justus you had learned to make a grave for the robbers. They put up twenty markers to show that the men were buried here and then started back on their way. At this point Taku was glad that she had left bandit with Tsundae while she was on this mission, because Shikamaru yet again turned around and they all gave him a nod signaling that they knew the follower was still there. Taku knew this person was strong and would not be as easily dispatched as the bandits.

When it was time for dinner Hinata, Ino, Naomi, and you put together a wonderful stew for them all. As it sat there cooking, while the men (and I use that word lightly) of the group sat around the fire, Naomi told them about herself. "You see it is a custom in my country for the female royalty to marry a shinobi from a different village, on our eighteenth birthday. This way our parents can be sure we are always cared for. I was in Konaha to meet my betrothed for the first time, we have our marriages decided from birth and each generation marries a Shinobi from a different village. My generation was lucky enough to get the Konaha shinobi."

Unable to stand the suspense Ino spoke up, "So, from the day you were born your parents made a deal with the parents of a young boy who is now a Konaha shinobi that you would get married with him on your eighteenth birthday and your seventeenth birthday is just days from now, and you only met him for the first time three days ago! Okay, I can't stand it any longer. Who is the guy!?" All the girls giggled at Ino's antics. Taku knew it wasn't her fault she was impatient her parents should have taught her to be a little more calm. Then again Taku knew the insane impatience and animal instincts was the reason Kiba was attracted to Ino.

"Well, I was getting to that Ino. You see the man I was betrothed to is none other than your friend Shino. I must say I was very pleased with him. He is strong, silent, yet still a very caring and wise person." Everyone sat there thinking a while before Naruto asked why she wore the veil. "It's another custom in my country to never allow an unmarried woman's face to be seen by anyone but her fiancée. But after the marriage the veil will come off." Finally the food was done and Taku got up to pass bowls around to everyone. All the guys instantly complimented them (as in all the girls) on their cooking skills. After dinner Shikamaru spoke up.

"The sun has just set. There are no clouds in the sky and we are all pretty much bored. How about a little entertainment before bed. Taku we haven't heard you sing since the festival. Would you do us the honor?" Taku caught on to his plan immediately, it was time to catch the stalker who had been following them since they left Konaha's boundaries. Taku decided it would be a good idea to get the rest of the girls in on the plan.

"I would Shikamaru but a simple song doesn't seem enough especially without music. If only we had some instruments." The princess then pulled a flute and lute looking thing (like a mini guitar) out of her pack. She explained because of her veil she couldn't play the flute and Ino jumped at the chance because she loved to play. Taku then took all the girls to the other side of the clearing to plan it out. "Okay girls we will now be catching our stalker." The princess looked up in surprise. You were whispering so no one but the other girls could hear you.

"Naomi we didn't wish to alarm you but we have been followed since leaving the Konaha boundaries. Anyway we will perform Butterfly and while you and Ino play Hinata and I will dance and sing the part. Okay now we will use these folded sheets to dance with and to hide the Kunai. At the last string of the song Hinata and I will release ten chakra butterflies and four Kunai. This will distract the person and pin them down making a capture for us. Are we all set?" Taku then explained the dance steps to Hinata who blushes furiously knowing this would mean getting very close to Naruto.

Hinata takes off her jacket leaving only her black undershirt and fishnet on. You of course are wearing your training outfit. You all walked over and got into position so the performance could begin. (Just so I don't interrupt the song for you every line every time you say Ay, iyaiyai Hinata and Taku dance in circles around each other then when it get to where's my samurai they are each other back to back or cheek to cheek with your hand above your eyes as if blocking out the sun to look. During the part that says I'm your little butterfly they are dancing and twirling around all the boys who are still sitting in the circle around the fire.

Finally when the verses happen is when the embarrass Hinata plan comes in and they get close to the guys. First verse they do the looking thing switching back and forth for the first line then on the second line they prance around the circle stopping behind each girl's chosen man. Taku-Chouji Hinata-Naruto. Third line girls put hands on boys shoulders. Fourth line runs hands down arms feeling the muscles. Fifth line pokes both cheeks with index fingers. Sixth line they hug the males neck..

Dance moves for verse 2: line one run to closest tree doing looking motions. Line two appear on lowest branch still doing looking motions. Line three Run back to chosen guy. Line four hand on shoulder and circle to front of guy. Line five down to knees head in males lap. Line six hands circle neck from front in a hug. Then they get up to dance around the circle again. There dance moves explained and yes I made this up and it took a while. Needless to say though that both of the guys blush really bad during the verse parts. Man am I cruel to them or what?)  
Ay, iyaiyai,  
Ay, iyaiyai  
A-a-a iyaiyai,  
Where's my samurai

I've been searching for a man  
All across Japan  
Just to find, to find my samurai  
Someone who is strong  
But still a little shy  
Yes I need, I need my samurai

Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky  
Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue, Make the colors in the sky 

I've been searching in the woods  
And high upon the hills  
Just to find, to find my samurai  
Someone who won't regret  
To keep me in his net  
Yes I need, I need my samurai 

Ay, ay, ay,  
I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky  
Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky 

Ay, iyaiyai,  
Ay, iyaiyai  
A-a-a iyaiyai,  
Where's my samurai

Ay, iyaiyai,  
Ay, iyaiyai  
A-a-a iyaiyai.

Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky  
Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky   
Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky 

Ay, iyaiyai,  
Ay, iyaiyai  
A-a-a iyaiyai,  
Where's my samurai

Ay, iyaiyai,  
Ay, iyaiyai  
A-a-a iyaiyai, Where's my samurai

Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly  
Green, black and blue,  
Make the colors in the sky

As the last chord was played everything went as planned. The stalker had come closer thinking they were all off guard and got himself pinned to a tree by eight kunai which were masked by the release of twenty chakra butterflies. Instantly, everyone was looking straight at him and Shikamaru got up from his seat to jump up to where our formerly unknown stalker was pinned. "Alright what is a anubu member of Konaha doing following us around." The nameless anubu then explained that he was there to test your skills. He had been sent by Tsundae to watch and attack when you were off guard to see if their skills were past chunin level yet. It was then agreed that the stalker would spend the night as their prisoner. Taku tied him to a pole and she volunteered to sit there and feed him. She lifted up his mask just enough to uncover his mouth.

"Why are you all being so nice to me?" He asked this between spoonfuls of the stew. "I mean I am your prisoner and you did catch me stalking you. Why would you treat me so well? I don't understand it." Taku smiled at him.

"You may be our prisoner but that is only so you don't decide to attack us tonight when we really need our rest to finish this mission. We can tell that you aren't lying because a few of us here have become really good lie detectors over the years, myself included. You may be our prisoner for the night but tomorrow you will be released to make your way back to Konaha to give your report to Tsundae. It's not as if you were a foe because if you were you would be lying on the ground dead like those bandits back there. You are our ally so you deserve to be treated with more respect than the average prisoner."

After the bowl was empty he thanked you and her and she pulled down his mask. Then she and the others met at the fire ten feet from the prisoner to make out the schedules for the watch and sleeping arrangements. Naomi had already went to her tent to sleep. Shikamaru began to speak, "Well we need to stand watch in pairs tonight since Chouji and Taku are the only full couple we know about here they will sleep in the same tent and take the first watch. Second watch, and second tent will go to Naruto and Hinata who seemed very close during the dance." Taku giggled happy that she got Shikamaru to get in on her plan. "Ino and I will get the last watch before dawn and will have our own tents. Alright, let's get some sleep everyone."

Taku and Chouji sat in front of the fire on the same side the prisoner was on. "Chouji, today was a very eventful day wasn't it? I'm almost sorry it's soon to be over." She leaned over and kissed him. Soon they were both enveloped in a passionate kiss. The anubu saw this as his chance to try and escape slowly his hand started to inch toward his weapons pouch. Taku and Chouji caught the movement out of the corner of their eyes and threw two kunai knifes each. They landed on each side of his hand edges toward his skin. That and the ropes effectively pinned his hands so they couldn't move even a centimeter. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, very naughty mister anubu. We never let our guard down you should have learned this by now. Sometimes I wonder what they teach kids in school these days." They both laughed at the fact that they were the kids she was talking about. The rest of their watch went by uneventful and Taku went to wake up the next watch team. Chouji stayed guarding the prisoner.

"You know Chouji you are a very lucky man. She is a wonderful woman. Take very good care of her Chouji." He nodded as Taku came back with Hinata and Naruto. They both lay down in the tent and cuddled up waiting for the morning to come so they could finish their mission.

Chapter 14: Taku's First Mission Part 2

That night in her dream she was once again standing in darkness but nobody appeared to her. She soon realized that the reason behind this was that they had decided she didn't need any distractions while on her mission. So she got set to work and used the time in her dream to train her mind before the dawn came. Taku was woken up the minute the sunlight spread over the horizon and for the first time ever She and Chouji awoke at the exact same moment. Taku walked out and joined Ino and Shikamaru who were on watch. She sat down by Ino. "So, did our little prisoner give you any trouble last night?"

Ino began to giggle. "Nope, after you scared him half to death last night he has been a good little boy haven't you?" He nodded his head very quickly. And the two girls burst out laughing which brought Naruto and Hinata out of their tents. "Well guys, it seems our little visitor deserves to be let loose so he can help us out this morning don't you think?" Everyone agreed and Taku walked up to the Anubu member with a Kunai and an evil gleam in her eyes. She put it up to his neck and began to talk to him. "Now, we are going to be a good boy aren't we? We are going to do everything asked of us and not complain and when your captors see fit to allow you to leave you will run as swiftly as you can back to Tsundae and give her your report correct?" He nodded quickly and she pulled back the Kunai and swung it down barely missing his neck to cut the ropes. Everyone standing around started to laugh.

Shikamaru walked up and started assigning duties. "Alright Hinata I want you to start on our breakfast while all of us guys go out to catch some fish. We can salt the meat and take it to Princess Naomi's village as a present for the royal family. Ino I want you to break down the tents and pack them up please. Taku as for you, since you're the best at controlling our guest you'll be in charge of watching his every move until we allow him to leave. All right guys, let's head to the river." Taku stayed up in the trees watching the anubu members every move. When they got to the river he hesitated before following the other out onto the water. A needle was instantly lodged right by his foot. He started to sweat as Taku laid across the branch on her stomach looking down at him.

She smiled. "Next time you hesitate like that my dear I will aim to hit. Now off onto the water with you. We need lots of fish." Taku giggled as she saw him briskly walking onto the water. More to get farther away from her than any eagerness to help. 'That'll teach him to mess with the Konaha kunoichi. If it doesn't though, I will be forced to teach him the hard way. Man, this is so much fun. I should have started torturing boys years ago. Then again back then I didn't have the confidence to.' Taku thought this as she slid her finger over the edge of her kunai and decided it wasn't sharp enough. She then took out a stone and began to sharpen it as she watched the anubu glance at her and squirm. She giggled yet again.

Back at the camp the other girls were doing great. Ino had the camp broken down The camp and had it packed up. She was now helping Hinata with the breakfast. "You know Hinata we all learned the dancing and acrobatics before we even went to the academy. I think though that yesterday we took the meaning of what they were for to a new level. I think maybe we should start using this as a new fighting style. I mean it's something new and unexpected and it will allow us to use the completely useless things they taught us before the academy. Plus a lot of fighting needs us to be very flexible to dodge attacks and of course there is always the balance issue. In fact I talked to Temari and she said that girls in her village were never given classes in dancing. It could definitely make the Konaha kunoichi really stand out." They talked about it a little more before the breakfast was done. Soon the other came back and they noticed the anubu member was in the front walking very quickly with a giggling Taku following him in the trees above his head.

Ino went over and grabbed Taku as soon as she showed up. This caused the anubu to relax a little so she threw another needle that scratched his cheek as a warning, letting him know she was still watching. Ino laughed along with her then she and Hinata relayed their plan to Taku. She loved it because her mother had put her in dancing classes when she was younger and incorporating music in a battle would allow her motions to move more fluidly. Then the three of them turned their sights on Shikamaru. He was the only obstacle here in their little plan. The three of them walked over to him turning on the charm big time. Taku leaned down and smiled. "Shikamaru, we thought maybe it would be a good idea for Konaha's kunoichi to really stand out. So we thought we might try out a different style that was made perfectly for our graceful bodies. Do you have any objections?" Another six needles went and pinned the anubu's arm to the tree behind him. He had been reaching for his weapons pouch again and every single one of them saw it. The anubu sweat dropped realizing there was absolutely no escape until these chunin allowed him to leave. "Anyway, Shikamaru do you mind if we try it out on this mission before we take the idea to Tsundae?" He sighed.

"How troublesome you girls are. I will allow you to try it out if you can clean and salt all of the fish in ten minutes." The girls smiled and began to work on the fish. Nine minutes and thirty seconds later they had all the salted fish packed up. "Done!" Hinata, Ino, and Taku yelled out. Shikamaru laughed.

"Alright girls. To be honest I didn't think you would make it but a deal is a deal you can try it out until lunch comes around okay. You will stick to the trees trying out your new style. Maybe if we are lucky it will lure out more criminals who will think we are simply off guard like it brought out our anubu friend here." Taku then went over and pulled the needles out of the tree. Shikamaru was standing beside her and spoke to the anubu. "You have served your purpose and we have a mission to continue. You may now go back to Tsundae and if we catch you following us again I will give you to Taku as her personal plaything for the rest of the trip." As soon as she let him loose he ran as fast as possible straight back to Konaha. "I think that last part scared him don't you think so Chouji?"

Chouji smiled and laughed. "Yea, but I have no idea why I'd be happy to be Taku's plaything any day. I guess that spar with Naruto yesterday gave her the extra confidence she needed." He smiled at Taku and gave her a light kiss before it was back to the mission. They all grabbed up their packs and headed for the path through the woods. After walking for about a mile Shikamaru gave the girls a signal that meant they could give the guys their packs and head up into the trees. Chouji who was walking next to princess Naomi glanced over at her, "You can take out that lute now and start playing if you wish. The girls up there in the tree's want to show off their idea." Once she got up on the branch she decided to make her job easier and test the boy's reaction time. Taku gave the others a nod and took off their shoes and threw them at the chosen targets. The guys all caught the shoes without looking knowing that it would be easier for the three to dance tree to tree barefoot.

That way the shoes didn't cause them to lose footing. Naomi began to play and the three of them began to sing while using their gracefulness to dance on the trees in circles around the group on the ground. The boys knew they could relax because absolutely nothing would get by the three girls, (The power of multi tasking known only to girls lol) because even though they were singing and dancing in the trees they were also scanning a mile radius around the group. Between Hinata's byakugan and Ino and Taku's eagle eyes nothing would get past them.

Naomi was looking up in the trees in wonder as she played. The tree of them were jumping branch to branch tree to tree in a ever changing circle around the group dodging branches that would have cut and bruised lesser shinobi by twisting and flipping their bodies in dance. What she saw completely amazed her and she decided right then to send a letter to the Hokage explaining what she saw and her recommendation for this to become mandatory in the training of kunoichi. They kept flipping and twisting but what Naomi didn't see was the traps that they had been avoiding. So far they had only been placed in the trees but then the three girls all noticed the trip wire that the others were about to come up on. They all jumped down in the same instance in a kneeling position in front of Shikamaru.

This surprised Naomi so much that she stopped playing. They all lifted their heads up. After the dancing in the trees they all seemed to be working in perfect harmony doing the same things at the same time. They all spoke and their voices melded together as if to make one. "Shikamaru, be careful there are traps ahead in the path. We have been avoiding the ones in the trees but there are beginning to appear on the path ahead watch closely." Then they all jumped straight back to their places in the trees and spoke once more. "Naomi please begin to play again."

Everyone back on the ground was completely shocked that this style had this kind of effect on the three girls. They were sure it was them but it seemed so odd to see the girls in perfect harmony with each other. Naomi now had more information to add to her letter of recommendation. If Tsundae listened to her opinions then the kunoichi of Konaha were about to become a force to be reckoned with. Naomi then began to play a series of quick paced songs that had no known words and the girls in the trees instantly began to get back to work dancing through them. They got by the traps mostly without incident. Naruto did spring one extremely well hidden one but he was able to avoid it and he was in the last position so no one else was in danger. After getting through the three miles of traps Shikamaru called off the music and the three of them came out. "Alright guys we will stop for lunch now Girls if you wouldn't mind making it me and the guys will all go out and try to catch something a little bit bigger for dinner. Can I borrow your salt Hinata?"

"Sure." She walked over to get it out of her pack that Naruto had been carrying and blushed. Shikamaru nodded. 'It seems they only have the confidence while using the style. Everything goes back to normal when they know they are no longer using it.' She threw the salt over to Shikamaru as the Ino and Taku put on their shoes and got to work making the lunch. With supplies being limited the girls settled on making some ramen that Taku had brought from home. The three put it all in the big cooking pot and had the boys carry some water in it from a nearby stream. The fire was built and the boiling began. While Taku and the others sat down to wait for it to boil for three minutes Naomi told the girls of the impressions the style they created left on her. She also told them about the letter of recommendation she planned to write to Tsundae. They all smiled at this then threw in the dehydrated beef flavoring.

The guys came back soon with a pile of meat that you knew came from a deer. They probably skinned it in the woods so it wouldn't upset Hinata and Ino, both were a bit squeamish and hated to see cute fuzzy animals mutilated. They packed up the salted meat and they all sat down to eat the ramen. Chouji spoke up first during the lunch. "I have to say I was really impressed with the way you three worked together today. You were all doing the exact same thing at the exact same time and I never saw a single signal go between you." Taku then explained to him that the music was the only signal they needed in this style and explained how it would work in battles.

"You see Chouji, if you have more than one kunoichi fighting in a battle where they are using this style. Well, it's kind of like your minds connect. You can honestly move anyway you want to the music but it's like an instant connection between all of us who are trying to use this style. With that connection we can anticipate each others moves confusing our opponents and working together to defeat them. I guess you could say using this style is our way of using mind reading. Plus the dancing makes us more flexible so we can dodge better and our movements are more fluid so we can move from position to position faster." Soon they had all finished their food and had started packing up. A boy about fifteen came crawling up the road toward them. He was hurt badly and you could tell that if they left him he would die. He collapsed about thirty feet away from their group and Taku sighed and pulled Hinata over to him.

She placed her hands on him and healed the wounds while Taku cleaned him up. Shikamaru spoke up, "Even though I don't blame you girls for helping this kid his appearance will set up back a bit. We were supposed to be at Princess Naomi's village by sunset today. How troublesome." They sat there until he woke up an hour later. The second he opened his eyes he got a fearful look on his face. "Don't hurt me please." Taku cocked her head at him giving him a questioning look the realization dawned on her and she turned around.

"It seems he thinks we are the ones who attacked him. Come on now, it's ok we aren't going to hurt you. We were the ones who healed you, can you tell us what happened?" He looked up at her worried he was only two years younger than Taku and he had a headband from the village hidden in the clouds. She didn't see anyone else around.

"Oh god please she needs help. We have to hurry." He stood up and ran back the way he came. The group all ran after him. About a mile away he pulled a young girl from the bush. He then looked up at Taku since she had been the first and only one to talk to him so far. "Can you please help her? Please, she is all I have left." The boy let a single tear roll down his cheek and Shikamaru nodded at Hinata. She walked over to the girl to see if there was anything she could do for the injured girl. She began to work and Taku and Ino walked over to help her out putting some of their chakra into her so she didn't expend too much of her own. The girl woke up after being healed. She instantly hugged the boy and tried to speak but couldn't.

Hinata looked up with a sad look in her eyes that everyone knew meant she felt like a failure because she didn't have the knowledge to completely heal the girl. Shikamaru spoke for her, "She wasn't able to fix your vocal cords here we will have to take you back to Tsundae to see if anything can be done for it. Now as for you," he looked over at the boy with a bored look still plastered on his face, that quickly changed into one of irritation, "will you please tell us what the heck happened?"  
The boy looked up at the daunting figure before him. "I'm sorry I was just so worried about her that I forgot for a moment what was going on." He sat down with a sigh. "I'm sorry to trouble you so much. We came from the village hidden in the clouds.

My name is Kenshin (modest truth), and this is my girlfriend Shizuko (quiet child) we were part of two separate teams sent out to intercept three missing nins that are after the Princess Naomi, the rest of our team members and our leaders were killed in the battle we barely got away." Shikamaru looked up in the clouds deep in thought. He then asked the boy about the powers and styles of these three missing nins. "They are basically Chakra users. I didn't see a single one of them using taijustsu." Shikamaru looked back at the girls thinking of a plan to get them all out alive, he was a strategist for a reason and he could employ everything he had seen so far.

"Tell me Shizuko, do you know how to play the flute?" She nodded at Shikamaru. "I think I might have a plan. Hinata, Nenji has been training you with your byakugan hasn't he?" Yet again he was answered with a nod, she was starting to catch on to his plan. "Okay everybody has chakra points in the same places. Hinata can you now tell which ones block off chakra?" She nodded again. "Okay this is how we will handle it. Hinata the second we see those nins and I am sure we will, I want you to activate your byakugan then I need you Princess Naomi and Shizuko to play a very fast paced song. Girls you'll be using the style you invented along with using the chakra in your hands to blast the chakra networks in the same way Hinata is.

After they can't use their chakra they will pass out and we can bring them with us and on the way back make a stop at the village hidden in the clouds. To drop them off." They all then headed off. A few hours later they stopped for dinner. They all knew they were going to need their strength in the hours ahead, this was turning out to be a very dangerous mission. They cooked the deer meat the boys had brought back at lunch time and some vegetables to go with it. Sooner than everyone liked though they were back to their silent journey, headed straight into trouble, luckily this time they realized it. An hour later just as the sun was setting Taku saw Hinata activate her byakugan. The flute and lute began to play and the three ran forward not giving their attackers a chance to get at them or the people they were protecting.

Within fifteen minutes the three nins were tied up, passed out, and had no chakra left. 'The three girls who saved us had not a scratch on them. Konaha ninja must be extremely powerful. When we head back to the cloud village I think I will request for me and shizuko to move to Konaha for further training since now we are both orphans.' Kenshin looked down at his girlfriend sadly. Her mother and father had been the leaders of the two teams sent out. At about ten they reached the gates of Princess Naomi's village.

The village welcomed them all in with open arms especially when they saw the most notorious missing nins from the village hidden in the clouds being carried tied hands and feet on a long pole stretched between Naruto and Chouji, the girls did all the hard work the least the boys could do was carry the spoils of war. When they got to the palace they dropped off the fish and Naomi's family invited them to stay in the palace that night. They also told the group about some accommodations that they could prepare for their prisoners in the dungeon. Shikamaru had accepted the invitation for them all to each shinobi's delight. 

Everyone went off in their couples to accept rooms and Shikamaru and Ino got their own rooms. In their room Kenshin was talking to Shizuko about going to the village hidden in the leafs. Naruto and Hinata were talking about her plans to teach the aspiring kunoichi the style the girls had discovered. Taku, however was taking a long, hot, and well deserved bath. Unlike all the other girls her body was not accustomed to the battling she had done that day. Every single muscle in her body was sore. After you relaxed she crawled into bed with the still awake Chouji. (She had let him take a shower first.) "You know Chouji. I have a felling that after seeing what we could do today a certain cloud village couple is going to ask their kage to move to our village for further training."

"I think you are right my love. I was also thinking since you moved into my room we have an extra room available at our house and those two teens seem like they need someone around that will care about them." Taku smiled he had practically read your mind.  
"Exactly what I was thinking my love. Goodnight Chouji." She cuddled up to him completely exhausted and gave him a goodnight kiss before you fell into a well deserved sleep.

Back in Konaha the anubu member you had captured was making his report. "If you don't believe me Tsundae you may check my memories." She put one hand on his forehead and one on her crystal as the scenes played before her eyes. She knew then that he wasn't lying.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, but you must admit it is a little hard to believe that my best anubu member was taken by surprise and captured by these kids. I think they really are ready to become jonin." With that Tsundae dismissed the anubu member and became engulfed in her thoughts.

Chapter 15: Village in the Clouds

That night in her dreams took Taku back to the world she once lived. (Yea I bet some of you forgot Taku wasn't born in the world of Naruto. Silly people.) Once again she walked the streets without being seen. Her first stop was your old house. Taku saw the man that was her stepfather lying face down in tear stained pillows. In one hand was an empty bottle that matched all the others strolled across the house, and in the other was a picture of him, Taku, and her mother before she passed away. The radio had a cd in it and one song was set on repeat, that song was Whiskey Lullaby. They had been such a happy family back then. Taku walked back outside and picked one of the pink roses from the bush in the front yard, she couldn't think of it as her front yard anymore.

Her mother had always said they were her favorite flowers because they matched the blush on a certain young girl's cheeks. Taku placed the stem of the rose in the bottle in his hand. "Father, I'm sorry I still call you that but you were never more than that to me. I know it hurt you when I couldn't call you daddy when I was younger but I really did love you through it all. The scars meant nothing to me I just wanted you to love me." A few tears drops slid down her cheeks. "I'm sorry if I am the reason you felt the need to do this. I really did love you dad, I just wish we could have been there for each other after mom left." She kissed the forehead of her now dead stepfather after saying her last goodbyes. Taku just had to get out of that alcohol stained room so she started walking down the street again. Taku walked into the restaurant she used to work at. Inside she saw a missing poster with her face on it. It seemed some people were actually worried about her. Taku saw the wonderful man who used to be her boss and you walked over to hear him talking about the poster of see had seen as soon as she entered the door.

"Yea, that girl used to work here. She was the biggest help we got around this place and she is sorely missed. The only thing I regret about her running off is the fact that she didn't come to me. I mean I always saw that girl as a daughter and if her home life was getting bad I wish she would have run to me. I would have done anything in my power to help her." The elderly couple he was talking to bowed their heads. "So, if you see her tell her to come to me please. I want to help her. Thinking of her out on those cold streets is killing me inside. I hate to think of what could happen to such a sweet innocent little girl like her out there."  
Taku walked back to his office and picked up a pencil. Thank goodness she was solid enough to touch objects, she would have cried if she wasn't able to. Even if he couldn't see her, she wanted to help him feel better, help him understand she was safe. Taku didn't want anyone, especially someone who helped her out so much over the years, crying over her especially when she was so happy. So she sat and wrote him a note:

Hayes,  
I'm sorry about leaving the way I did. I was needed  
somewhere else and I just wanted you to know I saw of you  
more as a father than my own step father was to me. You were  
always so kind to me and I just had to let you know I was okay.  
I'm sorry that you wont be able to see me again but I needed to  
let you know I was okay and make sure you were okay yourself  
before I left for good. Please, take care of yourself you big  
slave driver/ teddy bear. Also, don't worry about me. I am  
alive, happy, well, and safe. I'm not on the streets and for the  
first time in my life I have found a huge family that wants   
me in it. I know you would love to have been my family but  
I just couldn't stay here because of all the memories. I love you  
Hayes you were more than my boss you were the father I always   
wanted but could never have. I'm sorry I cant tell you more but   
I cared about you too much to put you through that and still care   
too much to not to say goodbye.  
Love ,  
Taku  
-Lorraine Westley-

Satisfied with her goodbye, Taku left never looking back. She saw a clock on the door and saw it was only three. She started walking toward the school and her favorite classroom. Taku walked down the streets being seen by nobody, but then again this was not odd for her. Even when she lived her life here everyone saw past you, too consumed in their own lives to notice a lonely girl walking down the street, that's why she loved the other world so much more it was like the theme song to Cheers, "you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came." 

As Taku walked in Miss Urimachi was at the desk finishing papers. She looked up and actually saw her now ex-student. "Ah, Taku, I was starting to wonder when you would come visit. I know nobody else can see you but I am different my dear. I had a strange feeling that you didn't belong here, the same one you felt everyday in your life. After seeing the dream journal entry I knew you weren't meant to be here. You see just like my ancestors I have always believed in different dimensions and crossovers at birth. Believing allows your eyes and mind to be open to the truth. I can see that truth in your eyes my dear I know how you feel and I am glad you found where you belong. Though I am sorry my best student had to leave. Now I have no fun grading these monotonous papers"

"I just came back to say goodbye. I'm where I belong now. You were right, I am now living happily in the world of my dreams, it's better than winning the lottery cause I don't have to pay taxes. Does everyone born in another world have those dreams where they enter into the place they were meant to be?" She nodded her head. "Well then, I hope all of the others find their way back to their world also. But for now I must say goodbye. I believe the sun is rising" Taku silently faded from your old teachers point of view.

She sat there a minute before saying. "I'm glad you found the world you were meant to be in just as I did my dear." She smiled as she thought back to the shy girl who sat in her class looking out the window. She had always seen that special thing in Taku. She could tell from that brief meeting how much she had changed for the better after getting away from her abusive stepfather.  
Taku woke up on a soft bed and started thinking. 'Where the hell am I this isn't Chouji's room. The bed is just a little too soft' Suddenly it all started to come back to her. The mission, the style, and finally the prisoners. Taku got up and changed into a clean training uniform and went to ask if she could check on their prisoners. She was allowed and she walked down to see the idiots still tied up in the cell. She threw a needle at each of their arms just to make sure they weren't clones.

They weren't, the cussing that followed the needles proved that fact. Taku remembered that this morning they were supposed to have a mini birthday party for Naomi so she walked back upstairs stretching her still stiff muscles. She climbed on the bed and kissed each of Chouji's eyelids before heading for his lips through a round about path over his cheek. "Wake up, lover." His eyes blinked open.

Soon they were both on their way down to breakfast. There was a huge selection since they were invited to breakfast with the royal family. Everyone including the new additions to their group were surrounding the table. They all waited for the toast from Naomi's father. Finally, after several minutes he stood up.

"I would like to make a toast to my daughter Naomi's seventeenth birthday. Only one year until my baby girl will be married away from me. Also, I would like to toast to the brave ninja who got her here safely, when the odds seemed to be stacked against them." They all smiled and lifted their cups. The rest of the breakfast went by quickly without anyone making a faux pas (you know what I mean, messing up your manners and offending everyone around the table, something Naruto would normally do.) After all the main courses were taken away the servants brought in tiny cakes. Taku noticed something strange about the eyes of the servant that brought in Naomi's cake.

Taku then waved to Naomi's father to get his attention. "Um excuse me sir, but I believe you should have Naomi's servant take a taste of that cake before her. Just as a precaution of course." Taku stared as the servant started to sweat.

"What's the meaning of this. Naomi's father bellowed out. Are you trying to accuse my servant of something?"

Naomi looked over at her father. "Dad, I believe you should trust her. Taku has the sharpest eyes out of these Shinobi. She is a very observant person, I have seen this with my own eyes on our way here she didn't miss a single thing. I think if she is asking us to take this precaution there is a reason, a good reason."

Naomi's father sat down as she turned around and called the servant forward. There were more tiny drops of sweat beading his forehead as he leaned down to bow one bead of it slipped down and hit the floor, the rest of the shinobi at the table nodded after Taku had brought it up they had studied the servant themselves all coming up with the same conclusion. She cuts a piece and picks it up with her own fork. "Please try this and tell me what you think." The servant took the fork and put the cake in his mouth.   
Taku was watching the servant very closely as he gulped with the cake in his mouth. "Now swallow, honestly who did you think you were fooling with that gulping act?" He gave her a glare as he actually swallowed the cake this time.

They all waited for a minute until Naomi's father spoke up. "It seems your insists were wrong my dear." Just as he finished his sentence the servant started to foam at the mouth then fell on the floor as if he was having a seizure. A few moments later he was dead.

Taku nodded her head at Naomi's father. "With all due respect, my instincts are never wrong. Guys I'm headed to get my stuff I'll see you down in the dungeon. I have a feeling we will be leaving soon and I just lost my appetite."

Taku went up to her room and gathered everything up then went down to the dungeon to wait for the others. The silent Shizuko was the first to join her. The girl had a note pad and pencil with her since her vocal chords were still damaged. She began to write a note and Taku carefully watched the strokes of the pencil. Before Shizuko could flip it around to show Taku, she spoke. "Yes I know I am a very observant person, and by the way you spelled observant wrong." She smiled and Taku smiled back at her. Taku threw another needle in to each prisoner just as she had earlier that morning.  
Shizuko gave Taku a questioning look.

"I'm making sure they aren't clones. We don't want to take back the wrong people and I am not really sure how long the results of the byakugan will last. Nothing seems to last long enough these days. You know its surprising how great of a conversation you can have with a fourteen year old girl who cant speak a word." She nodded and they both sat there in silence for a few moments. "Kenshin was talking to you about living in Konaha last night wasn't he?" She nodded, Taku read her body language her down cast eyes and somber expression revealed a lot to the observant girl.

"I see. So you became an orphan yesterday. Well, I know there is really nothing I can say to help but, if your kage lets you leave to live in Konaha then I'd like to ask the two of you to live with me and Chouji. That is if you don't mind sharing a room." Shizuko hugged Taku as her face became radiant once again. Taku wanted to see her smile a lot more often.

Chouji and Kenshin chose that moment to walk in. "Hey love what have you been up to." Taku just smiled up at him.

I was having a very nice conversation with Shizuko here.  
Kenshin looked down at the note pad and saw only once sentence. "How did you have a conversation when she only wrote one thing?" Taku nodded at Shizuko and she scribbled on the pad furiously. Kenshin took it from her and read the words aloud. "She is very good at knowing what I want to say so I don't have to say it." He looked back over at Taku. "Thank you so much."  
Taku smiled and crossed your legs waiting for the others to arrive. Shikamaru came in last and of course he had a good excuse this time. Princess Naomi had stopped him and asked him to deliver something to the hokage.

Taku grabbed the prisoners and tied them hands and feet back to the pole. This time Kenshin and Shikamaru put the pole on their shoulders and began to walk. They were headed straight for the village hidden in the clouds.

"Wont your kage get worried? With your group being gone this long?" Kenshin asked the closest shinobi which happened to be Taku.

"No, she wont be worried at all because we will be running on the way back." Shizuko took out her pad and pencil and began to write. It seemed she had forgotten Taku didn't need to see that. "Yes Shizuko, our Hokage is female." She smiled again and put her pad away. "She is the first female Kage too I believe. Isn't that right, Shikamaru?"

He nodded and they all continued walking.   
Within two hours Taku was at the gates of the village hidden in the clouds. One of the guards stepped forward. "What is your business here?"

Shikamaru who had been surrounded by the others stepped forward pole still on his shoulder. "We are bringing back two of your shinobi found injured in the woods as well as turning in three of your villages missing nins." As they walked through the village Taku could feel the same peacefulness that was currently in Konaha. There were no attackers of this quiet village but she knew that didn't mean there never would be. She whispered something in Shikamaru's ear. (To later be revealed at the kage's office.)

When they walked into the office the Kage greeted them. After he had paid Shikamaru the fee for catching the nins and wrote out something for the Hokage Kenshin asked to speak with him alone. Before they walked out though Shikamaru spoke up. "I will not attempt to tell you how to run your village or do your job, but someone pointed something out to me today. In times of peace you should work twice as hard for the winds of change will eventually reach your paradise and turn it into a wasteland. During peace we should prepare for those times."

The Kage smiled and nodded, "You speak such wisdom for someone so young."

Shikamaru glanced back at him. "Since you didn't take offense to it you should know that Taku was the one who pointed it out to me. I just added a few flowery words, she can be very blunt at times." Both men laughed as Shikamaru walked from the room. When he did he saw his entire team waiting out by the door. He suddenly got a very confused look on his face when he started walking away and no one followed.

"We are waiting to see the answer the Kage will give to Kenshin and Shizuko. They are asking right now if they can come to Konaha with us. They probably decided to do that after they saw the way three of the lower sex from our village could fight." Taku had the most satisfied smirk on her face. Shikamaru just walked back, kind of pissed that he had been to busy to notice it.

"How troublesome. Just waiting for them, and indoors too I cant even see the clouds." Everyone started laughing at his antics. He may have been a great leader with a lot of intelligence but he was still lazy, and always would be.

Soon enough The happy couple walked from the door with Shizuko holding up a sign that said "He Said Yes!!" in big letters. Taku went up and hugged her. "Okay guys celebration time. To the closest Ramen stand!"

The group of shinobi followed Naruto's nose to get their lunch. After finding a Ramen stand they all sat down to eat a non caught in the woods lunch. Taku just didn't feel up to the happiness of Naruto. She may have saved one life this morning but there was another she never had the chance to save.

On the walk home to Konaha Taku knew they were safe, she just had this feeling nothing bad would happen. Suddenly, it began to rain. It was a very warm rain so they all just kept pace instead of stopping. At the rate they were running it would be possible for them to arrive home tonight. Taku decided to allow one last tribute her step father. She began to sing in the rain the song that reminded her of him the most, the song that was playing when she found his body. Whiskey lullaby.

Nobody even mentioned stopping for dinner. They just wanted to make it home, to Konaha, before the sun set. Even though everyone heard Taku's song, nobody mentioned it. Everyone who knew of her past knew you must have had a dream last night, a very sad one. They had all seen her moodiness that day and that song confirmed their worst conclusions.

At sunset they made it back to Konaha. They all went to their homes agreeing they would meet up and go to the hokage in the morning. Kenshin and Shizuko went home with Taku and Chouji. They all picked out something that was left over in the fridge heated it up then headed to your rooms. Taku showing the other two teens where they would be sleeping, in her old room. Chouji finally gained the courage it took to ask about the song after Taku had changed.

"Taku, what brought out that song on the way here?"  
Chouji knew she needed to talk about it, and he was right. "Last night in my dreams I went back to my world for one last visit. I went into the house that used to be mine and found my step father there on the couch, he drank himself to death." Chouji pulled her close in the bed. "I know he used to beat me but he still raised me and he used to be a good dad back when mom was alive. He just couldn't get over her death. Neither of us could. I should be happy for him though. He finally found his relief."

"Sing it again Taku, it will help you feel better." Taku took Chouji's advice never knowing that two others heard what she said.  
Kenshin sat on his bed. "She's had a really sad life hasn't she? "Shizuko nodded and laid her head on his chest. "Come on love. Lets go to sleep to the sweet sound of her sad voice." And so the young couple fell asleep to the sounds of Taku's voice singing her stepfather's final farewell.

In the other room Taku had finished singing and broke down crying. Chouji held her and wiped away the tears until she fell asleep in his arms. He laid down with her still on him and spoke to the air around him.

"Taku has seen so much pain in her life. Why her? She is so kind and so sensitive she still loved the bastard who spent years hurting her when he should have loved her. Why can't something good happen to her? Why can't she find something to ease her pain?" He fell asleep soon after never knowing that he was her good thing that helped to ease her pain.

Chapter 16: The follies of youth PART 1

Thanks to anon for pointing out my double post i fixed it.  
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The scene was different this time, an endless dirt path stretched out before Taku. Yondaime and Hitomi appeared beside her along with two other figures, it was her step father and the woman who raised her, the one she knew as mommy for the first years of her life. One couple stood on Taku's right while the other stood on her left. Taku's step father turned to you. "Lorraine, well I guess it's Taku now. I just wanted to say thank you. I can only be here because you forgave me. I know later on in my life I became a horrible person and I should never have treated you the way I did. I'm so sorry."

Yondaime then took over, "This my dear is the path of you life. It may seem simple to you right now but soon you will be faced with rough terrain, twists and turns, mountains and valley's, and forks that lead you down different ways. I have faith that you will always chose the right path but unfortunately we won't be around to help you any longer. My baby girl saying goodbye is always hard especially for your mother and I who have known you for such a short time but we have helped you as much as we can."  
Hitomi spoke up for the first time. "My darling Takumari, I want you to know a few things before you start down this path." Suddenly a scene showed up before you. It was from that very night. Chouji was holding her close to him and he began to speak to the empty air around himself.

"Taku has seen so much pain in her life. Why her? She is so kind and so sensitive she still loved the bastard who spent years hurting her when he should have loved her. Why can't something good happen to her? Why can't she find something to ease her pain?" He let out a single tear and kissed Taku on the forehead before going to sleep.

The mother who raised her spoke up. "He doesn't know sweetheart that he is the good thing that has happened in your life. He doesn't realize he brings the sunshine in and makes you smile. You should really let him know."

With that they all vanished. This was the last time you would see them before going through the gateway of life and death. Taku took a step on the dirt road and started walking but she could feel a presence beside her. Suddenly she looked at the ground and she saw the shadow (transparent images) of all her friends walking beside her, hand in hand. Chouji was right there on her right, and Naruto was on her left and their shadows were holding her hands she smiled and began to run down the path. With such good people walking beside her how could she ever chose the wrong path. Slowly Taku woke up. She saw her angel still holding her in his arms. That is definitely what Chouji was. He was her own personal angel. Her angel who had pulled her from the depths of despair and the love of her life.

She got up and took and changed into a clean training outfit. Taku then picked up all the dirty clothes around the room and took them to the laundry room. Luckily they all fit into one load so she ran down to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast. Taku made eggs, waffles, hot coca, and sausage. As she was setting the table you began to sing Angel of mine. Soon Chouji came down stairs. He took her hand and began to twirl her around the kitchen while she sang the song. Hiding on the stairs looking around the corner was Kenshin and Shizuko. When the song was finished Chouji pulled her closer. "I guess you feel better today, huh Taku?"

"How can I not when I have an angel like you watching over me. You brought the light back into my life Chouji, I love you." Taku pulled herself up to her tip toes and kissed him. The kiss lasted a full minute before they heard an awwwww come out of the audience. They all laughed and then sat down to breakfast. 

"You know, it's really easy to tell how much you two love each other. I am happy to be staying with such caring people and I am sure Shizuko feels the same." She nodded and then there was a knock on the door. Everyone from the mission was there and waiting. They all headed to Tsundae's office. Their team went in first to give their mission report. Tsundae then told the entire group about their promotion from Chunin to Jonin. They all thanked her and handed her the scrolls given to them by Naomi and her father as well as turning in the reward for the three criminals so she could take the village share and divide the rest between the group. When their mission business was concluded Taku stood up.  
"Tsundae, while we were in the woods we found a couple of strays and they asked their Kage if they could come here. They are out in the hall waiting to come in."

She sighed, "Alright send the little brats in." Kenshin and Shizuko were told to come in. They did some paperwork got their headbands and then Shizuko had a somewhat special request. She wrote something down on her notebook and then Tsundae read it aloud. "If at all possible I would like to train with the three girls I saw on the mission that retrieved us. They have certain skills and a style I am dying to learn." Tsundae got a confused look on her face but then she touched Shizuko's forehead. "Hmmm, I see." She said as all of Shizuko's memory of the last few days. Tsundae now understood why she wanted to train with them so badly, not only because of their style, but because Taku could understand her even though she couldn't speak right now.

"Alright sweetheart, let's just see what we can do for those vocal cords of yours." She shooed the boyfriend out then put her hands on Shizuko's throat. She could see the damaged muscles that Hinata missed. It was very true that Hinata was a very accomplished healer but this was also very delicate work that only the best understood. Hinata knew better than to try something this advanced without someone else around. Thread by thread she began connecting the muscles back together. It was a long and grueling process but after about two hours she had finished.

"Now Shizuko, it is true that I have healed your voice but you need to let the muscles rest for about a week or you could rip them again. So for an entire week I want you to keep that notebook with you and don't try to use your voice too soon. If you do you might damage it beyond repair. Okay?"

The young girl nodded at Tsundae. She smiled and shooed the girl out of the office. It was amazing, no matter how many times she helped someone it always gave her that warm feeling inside, to see them walk away knowing they will get better. She sighed as she sat back down and got back to the worst part of being Hokage, the paperwork.

When Kenshin had gotten shooed out of the room he got worried. Taku put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from pacing. "Tsundae is the best healer here if she can help this might take a while so let's head into town and get some comfort food. We will leave a message here for Shizuko that when it's done she can meet us at the ramen stand. Okay?" He agreed and they headed down the street. "Kenshin, I have a question for you. If you found out that Shizuko could never speak again, would it change the way you feel about her?"

"No of course not. I love her and nothing can change that. I'm more worried about how this is going to effect her. You know how she will react if that happens. I mean she is so used to talking when something needs to be said. How will she handle it if she can't anymore?" He looked down at the bowl of ramen just placed before him.

"If that happens we will learn to read her body language and expressions so we can tell what she wants to say. If there ever comes a time when we can't read that though she can always write it. Not being able to speak will be a minor adjustment. I'm just glad to know if that happens you won't leave her in her time of need."

Kenshin looked down again. Then he took his first bite of the Ramen. They were all on your third bowl by the time Shizuko walked in. She wrote something on the notebook and handed it to Kenshin. He read aloud. "She fixed it but I still have to rest my voice for the next week. Plus she said I could train with the girls."

All of a sudden Taku had an idea, you know one of those little light bulb moments when something just springs on you. Since this was their day off it was time for another party and that way they could introduce Kenshin and Shizuko to the rest of Konaha. Well at least all the people who mattered. Taku turned to Chouji and whispered to him. He smiled and nodded so she ran home to begin to make dinner. Taku went through and threw together some pizza's just like the first time, but this time used different toppings on each. Soon Shizuko and Kenshin came home. They said Chouji had told them he had something to do to and they needed to head back. "Well then you guys can help me make the pizzas."

While Taku employed Kenshin and Shizuko making the food Chouji was out gathering people up. On his way though the hokage stopped him and asked him to deliver a scroll to Hinata, Ino, and Taku. Taku also made an ice ream cake by making a small cake and then putting ice cream in piles over it before spreading on the icing. She put it in the freezer to wait for later. Soon the others had arrived and the party began. Everyone was waiting patiently for Taku, Ino, and Hinata to read the scroll Tsundae had sent to them. Taku stood up in front of everyone and read it aloud. "To Ino, Hinata, and Taku. It has come to my attention that the three of you have developed a new technique. We would like for you to teach this technique to the following people in the next week. Sakura, Shizuko, Ten Ten, Temari, and Mitsumi. I know she is not currently a ninja but as the future wife of the Kazakage she will need to learn to protect herself."

Every girl in the room whooped it up and said go Mitsumi. Gaara had just escorted her back that day so she didn't have any time to tell anyone at all about her engagement. Soon though Taku calmed everyone down. "Wait guys, that's not it. After the week is up you will perform this style for the Kazakage and Hokage and if they are impressed with the progress you will begin to have one week with every female genin coming out of the academy. And we will make sure this style is taught in both countries." Taku jumped up screaming the word yes over and over again pumping her fist in the air.

Lee jumps up onto the table. It's time for celebration, Sake for everyone. And as everyone knows Lee plus handing out sake makes for a lot of very drunk teenage ninjas. Now I am sure you are all wondering what happened to the group well, Nenji passed out on top of Ten Ten on the couch. Sasuke and Sakura ended up holding each other on the floor after a very drunk Sasuke had asked her to help him revive his clan one baby at a time. Shikamaru and Temari were still stumbling around holding each other up. Mitsumi the lucky girl decided not to drink. Naruto and Hinata ended up in the middle of the hallway both had their shirts off. Only when drunk would Hinata ever show her bra.

Kenshin ended up bowing to the porcelain queen (he got sick well not just sick very sick) while a not so steady Shizuko took care of him. Ino and Kiba were under a blanket in the back yard, it's better not to ask on that one, trust me the image still scars my poor mind. Shino decided to take Lee to Gai after Taku had blurted out that Mitsumi wasn't the only person engaged, Shino really wanted to get away from the gossip about himself and princess Naomi. You of course ended up in your bed with Chouji, of course this night you weren't wearing pajamas just your bra and undies while he was in his boxers. To her relief or chagrin she couldn't decide which (in the morning that is) they passed out before it could go any farther.

Chapter 17: The follies of youth PART 2

What happens when eighteen teenage ninja's who were very drunk last night, wake up in the morning." Mitsumi's camera was rolling yet again. You see Gaara had complained because he couldn't stay longer because of his new duties as Kazakage and Mitsumi was making a tape to make him feel better, a lot better. "Our first stop will be Gai's house. Lee was taken there after getting extremely drunk on very little alcohol. There goes his title as the best drunken fighter. Hello Gai, please talk into the camera and tell us what you have planned for Lee."

Gai looked up and smiled, "Well after waking him up, since it is already six and he slept in, I am going to train him until his ears bleed." She watched as Gai filled up two tubs of water. One he put in ice and the other was warm. Gai then picked up the sleeping teen and carried him over. First he put Lee's face in the hot water then the cold over and over again. About ten minutes later Lee woke up. He was still very drunk but awake so Gai dragged him out to train him. (And if you have never seen lee fight drunk I suggest you go to you tube and look up the beer song.)

Mitsumi turned the camera back to herself. "Note to self. Never get drunk if Gai is in the same country as you, or even on the same continent. He is very scary. Ok anyway, next we will visit Shino." Once at his door Mitsumi knocked. Shino answered the door looking normal. "Hello Shino, how do you feel today?"

He looked at her, "Sorry you won't find a hangover here. I only drank enough to get buzzed last night and watch the pain of others in the morning. I will accompany you to Chouji and Taku's house though. It seems everyone else passed out there." (a little sadistic isn't he? I don't have room to talk though I do the same thing) So the two of them headed over there and walked in without knocking. Mitsumi found Shikamaru and Temari all over each other twisted around passed out on the kitchen floor. Yet again Mitsumi turned the camera to herself. "Now Gaara, I know he is laying there with your sister but don't kill him I swear he is in a very innocent position compared to others. Now let's go see the not so innocent." She then began to walk around the house. She found Nenji passed out on top of Ten Ten first. His shirt was off and he was using her chest as his pillow. She mumbled, "see what I mean, and this isn't even the worst of it."

Continuing her walk through the house in the next room she found a shirtless Sasuke smirking in his sleep and a topless Sakura laying on his chest. Thank goodness Mitsumi couldn't see anything because they had a cover over them but she knew what had happened between the two last night. They had made their first attempt to revive the Uchiha clan. "Okay from where I'm standing it is hard to tell if this was an act of love or a drunken mistake. Let's hope for Sakura's sake it was an act of love. On to the next room." On the way to the backyard to see Ino and Kiba she found Hinata passed out on Naruto's lap. Naruto was leaning against the wall holding on to Hinata for dear life. She couldn't help herself. "Awwww how cute?" Mitsumi continued walking and saw Ino curled up in the fetal position in the back yard leaves and grass in her hair and Kiba in the same position wrapped around her. Yet again those words escaped just like they did with Naruto and Hinata. She then worked her way upstairs where she saw Kenshin and Shizuko asleep on the bathroom floor. Then she found Taku and Chouji only in underclothes on their bed. 

Mitsumi walked back downstairs to the place where she saw Sakura and Sasuke. Shino walked out the door before she could execute her plan. Suddenly an alarm clock went off right by Sakura's head. Mitsumi had walked back to the door before it could go off. This is what she heard as complete chaos ensued.

Sakura: Where the hell are my clothes!!  
Sasuke: (Screams) What did we do last night.   
Ten Ten :Oh My ...  
Nenji: How did I end up here? .. Mmmm so soft... Ten Ten?  
Shikamaru: How did you sleep last night love?  
Temari: My head is killing me.  
Hinata: screams and only screams  
Naruto: Hinata it's ok No don't attack me.

The ones upstairs were still calm. Soon everyone was down at the table discussing hangover recipes. Well all except Sakura and Sasuke, they had something else on their minds. At this moment they were very worried about results of last night. The rest of that day was sent videotaping and in pain.

Fast forward one week.

It had been a week and all the girls had been practicing everyday extremely hard. Taku walked out on the stage. "Today we present to you a new fighting style that was developed when Ino, Hinata, and I were on a mission to the land of lighting. It is a very effective technique when one person has a special power that you can all use if you match the movements. For instance We used this Techniques along with Hinata's byakugan and it aided us in capturing three missing nins from the village hidden in the clouds. Today Shizuko will be playing the flute for us." The curtain went up and they all took their places. They had each chosen an anubu member to fight using the style and when the music began , they began the dance. They were all using their best Justus but they were doing the same motions with their bodies. (please don't ask me how this is possible) They could easily and fluidly dodge any attack the anubu's sent at them. "And now for a little more challenging demonstration."

They all took off your shoes and jumped into the trees. The music began to play again and they began to jump branch to branch in dance. Every time they hit a limb they threw a senbon needle. When the needle hit the anubu standing there was not allowed to attack, soon they all jumped down in a straight line in front of the Hokage and the Kazakage. Not a single anubu got the chance to attack. "All anubu's hit" It was the sound of eight voices melded into one, a very shocking sound to those who have never heard it before. 

Tsundae stood up. Will all Anubu that were hit please step out of the forest. Forty anubu then stepped out of the forest. Tsundae counted them. "Yea that is all of them." The girls passed the test and each of them would be sent two girls straight out of the academy in three months to train. After they had taught them this skill though they would be put into the three man cells. To be honest they couldn't wait.

Fast forward two months and three weeks

It was a week before the graduation of the academy students. Taku noticed something in the way Sakura looked at people. Almost as if she was guilty about something. Taku walked up to her. "Sakura what's wrong?" Sakura mumbled something under her breath but Taku couldn't hear her. "Say that again, I didn't catch it."

"Oh please Taku, don't make me repeat myself it was hard enough to say it the first time as it was." She was getting kind of frantic.  
"Okay calm down Sakura, take a deep breath. I really didn't hear you so please tell me in a voice I can hear." Sakura took a deep breath.

Suddenly she yelled out at the top of her lungs, "Okay, I am pregnant!!! Was that loud enough for you?!" Taku's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what Sakura just said even though the pink haired girl was showing the first sign, huge mood swings.  
Taku grabbed her hand and started pulling her to Sasuke's house. "Okay, you need to tell him. He is going to be happy you know. It might be a bit of a shock at first but you have to tell him." She was crying, and her body language had I can't tell him written all over it. "Okay, I'll tell him, but you have to be there."

Sakura smiled and hugged Taku, "Oh Taku, You would really do that for me? Thank you so much. You are the best friend ever. I love you." Taku continued dragging the extremely emotionally unstable Sakura to her the house of the father of her baby.

Once there Taku knocked on the door and Sasuke answered. She pushed Sakura in through the opening and sat her on the couch. Sasuke just followed them hands in his pockets. "Okay now, there is something that Sakura wants to tell you but since she is an emotionally unstable mess right now I am here to be her voice. Sasuke, Sakura is pregnant with your child." Taku stated just as bluntly as if she was telling him his milk was expired.

"What... when...how could that happen?!" He fell from standing to flat on his but when he heard the news. Everyone knows how hard it is to shock a Uchiha that much.

"Well the what is that she has your baby in her tummy right now but it will come out in about six months. The when was at my drunken party at my and Chouji's house, sorry for contributing by the way, though you should really blame Lee he brought the sake. The how is well how do I explain this... oh I have it! When a mommy and a daddy really love each other.." He regained his composure cut Taku off right there.

"I know How it was done just shut up, I'm kind of in shock right here." He stood up and walked back to his bedroom. He came back out soon and kneeled in front of Sakura. "Sakura I wanted to save this for a more romantic time but under the circumstances." He opened a small box that held a ring and for once it was Taku struck speechless, out of all the reactions he could have had she never expected this one. "Will you marry me?" Instantly a camera started flashing and both parties of the couple looked over at Taku with a glare.

"Sorry guys couldn't resist. So Sakura what's your answer?"  
Taku had just barely dodged a bullet there. While Sakura was hugging and kissing Sasuke and saying yes, yes, yes over and over again Taku ran to get the film developed and pass the pictures out. By the end of the day everyone knew about the engagement, even if not everyone knew about the bundle of joy the happy couple was expecting. Taku then went to Tsundae gave her a copy of the picture and explained why Sakura would not be up to training her first group of genin. Tsundae agreed and mumbled, "Well, I better get a wedding invitation at the least."

Taku then frolicked home and added the picture to her album along with other pictures she had taken with the film. There was a picture of Ino and Kiba asleep in the backyard. A picture of Naomi and one of Shino that she cut in half and placed side by side. A picture of Kenshin and Shizuko they took the day she spoke again for the first time. There was also a few pictures that Ino took of Taku and Hinata dancing around their guys on the mission. There were so many memories in this little album of hers. Taku smiled and slipped it back in her secret hiding place.

That night as she lay down, she spoke to Chouji. "Everything seems right with the world now. Shizuko is talking, Naruto and Hinata are officially a couple, three of our friends who have been paired off into couples are engaged and one is expecting a bouncing baby. I can't think of anything that could make this better." Chouji could think of something though. He thought of the little black box that looked so much like the one Sasuke had presented Sakura with that day. He decided to wait just a while longer. Then they both fell asleep.

Chapther 18: The Wedding

Taku woke up and id the normal early morning routine. This was going to be a good day though a very busy one. First she had to go to the academy to meet the girls she would be training, and after that she would have to be the maid of honor in Sakura's wedding. Naruto, Taku's uncle, would be acting as best man. Taku was still a little confused about why Sakura had decided she should be the maid of honor in the wedding but Taku had a feeling it had something to do with who broke the news of the pregnancy to Sasuke. Taku crawled out of bed and took a quick shower before changing into a training outfit and laying out the puffy pink monstrosity Sakura has chosen for her bridesmaids to wear. The others were a lighter pink but Taku's matched the color of the other girls hair. It even included a ribbon with a tacky pink cloth rose on it to go around her neck.

It was at moments like this she wished a brides sense didn't go down the drain while picking out bridesmaid dresses. Of course, because of Sakura's pregnancy she had an affinity for dressing everything and everyone up in something pink and frilly. Even Sasuke and the groomsmen had to wear a pink frilled shirt under their suit jackets and nobody felt up to fighting with a hormonal pregnant bride who thought no one liked her fashion sense. Therefore, no one said anything about the atrocious garments.

Taku went downstairs and made a big breakfast full of protein and carbs, she had a feeling she was going to need it before the day ended. Chouji woke up and trod down the stairs with bandit right behind him. Bandit climbed up Taku's legs tickling her and made his way up to her shoulder to sit so she could feed him off her plate. Kenshin and Shizuko stumbled down the stairs together rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. "You guys are just going to have to get used to getting up early around here. When we haven't been drinking the night before the two of us are very energetic morning people."

"Yeah, yeah, we know Taku it's just going to take time for us to change our internal clocks so we can wake up on time." Kenshin immediately yawned after saying that. 

Taku put on her best motherly voice before addressing the entire group at the table, "Now children, remember your only allowed to train until three and after that we have to head straight home so we can get ready for the wedding tonight." They all nodded their heads in agreement as Taku lifted up a piece of bacon to her shoulder so bandit could eat as well. Soon they were all headed out the door and to their respective training grounds. Taku had to go to the academy to pick up her new genin. On her way there bandit jumped off her shoulder and headed down an alleyway. She ran after him afraid to loose her new pet. What she found when she looked into the cardboard box that bandit had ducked in surprised her. It seems when bandit was staying with Tsundae she let him out into the city, otherwise there wouldn't be a pregnant female ferret laying in this box.

Taku smiled lightly thinking that her family was growing everyday and headed for the academy again. She realized once she was about to walk through the door Bandit had just made her into a Kakashi coming in late with a lame excuse. If Naruto found out he would never let her hear the end of this. Taku sighed and walked into the door quickly sidestepping out of the way of a chalk filled eraser that had been placed on the top of the door. She wasn't afraid of being covered in chalk and in fact she believed she deserved it but then again she couldn't allow the pregnant ferret to get upset. 

"Alright I'm sorry I'm late but I had to pick up Bandit's girlfriend. We wouldn't want an easily upset pregnant ferret running around the streets of town now would we." As soon as that was said the girls rushed over to ooh and awe over the cute little animals. Taku sighed, it was the perfect way to get the three little girls minds off the fact that she was Late. "Wait, three! Wasn't I supposed to be training only two?" One of the little girls smiled up at her. she was wearing only dark green and black, perfect colors for a ninja. She had long dark hair and the pale trademark Hyuuga eyes.

"Sorry miss Taku, but since Miss Sakura is unable to train you have been given three instead of two, I'm Hanabi."

Taku smiled, "Hinata's little sister? It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm very good friends with your older sister but I thought you were older than the genin graduating."

"I actually am but my father didn't sign me up for the academy until he was sure Hinata would be a good choice for the next Head of the family. Therefore, I'm graduating a little later than most people my age." The three girls stood up as Bandit left the box and crawled back to Taku's shoulder. Hanabi motioned to the two shorter girls. "This is Moegi the girl you always see Konahamaru hanging around with, and the early graduate the youngest of us all is Ichi Uchiha." Taku nodded her head she had heard of the woman who had been found injured with Itachi's offspring inside her. The story was that she had been raped by the evil Uchiha and she needed a safe haven to have her baby. After having the baby though she had never left, after learning of the Uchiha clan's trait she decided her child would be better off training as a ninja. Taku agreed. If the girl hadn't trained the Blood line trait would have shown up during puberty and she would have had no idea how to control it. As far as Taku knew Sasuke had nothing to do with niece and Taku felt that was very wrong. She would have to talk to him bout it sometime.

"Alright today we are going to spend our time together getting to know each other since I have to leave a three to get ready for a wedding." Taku had gained the girls attention. "We will start by telling our names, our likes, dislike, hopes and dreams, and to get away from normal our greatest fear. Just to be fair, and to show you how to do it I'll go first. My names is Taku I like cooking, painting, singing, and dancing. I dislike cruelty to animals and children. My hope is to someday have a rug rat just like you three and my dreams are my own personal affairs. My biggest fear is that I will loose everyone I love and be alone. Ok Hanabi your turn."

Hanabi looked up at her new teacher wondering if she really wanted to know her biggest fear, "Well you know my name is Hanabi, I really like to paint even though I realize I'm not good at it. I don't like the expensive dinners father has prepared every single night. My hope is to someday be as wonderful of a person as my older sister and that is my dream as well. My biggest fear…" Hanabi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "…is any type of arachnid."

Taku smiled, "Now that wasn't so hard was it, and to tell you the truth I wouldn't want to meet a spider or scorpion in a back alley either. Okay Moegi your turn."

"Well, I really like hanging out with Konahamaru and learning techniques from Naruto, when he has time to teach us that is. I hate it when people are mean to others for no reason at all. My hope is that someday our village will treat everyone equally. My dream is to help make it happen, even if I only help a little. My biggest fear… well… I'm afraid of snakes thanks to Orochimaru." Moegi stepped back as Ichi Uchiha stepped forward.

"My name is Ichi Uchiha, I like to learn things and I read almost all the time. My mother says the day she sees me having fun instead of training or reading she will know the world is coming to an end. I don't like to hang around other people much because I'm never sure what to say to them because so many remember what my father did, and they resent me for it. My hope is that I can find a way to get my uncle to acknowledge me in some way because my mother says he has avoided her since she moved here. My dream is that we could all be one big happy family. My biggest fear is that I am anything like the man who got my mother pregnant." Taku wanted to fall on her knees and hug the girl, but she knew the kunoichi would not appreciate that. She was here to become strong not to bust into tears in her Taku's arms.

"Alright girls, that is enough for today head straight home I have some things to do." The first thing she did was run over to the Uchiha Compound to pound some sense into a certain Raven haired groom. She noticed him outside lounging around in the sun and enjoying his day off. She walked up to him and began in a nice voice, "Hey Sasuke, have you invited your niece and her mother to the wedding?"

"No Taku, I didn't. Before you get all crazy on me though I want you to know it isn't because she is my brother's child but I was afraid of confronting her mother. You see I thought it might be a little hard to handle seeing someone who looked so much like her rapist. I don't want to cause the last of my family undue stress." He ended with a sigh and Taku took a seat on the grass beside him.

"Well, I'm sure you didn't know this but your niece is my student. Under her hopes during the introduction ritual you were listed under the hopes. She wants you to acknowledge her in any way that's why she is trying so hard to become strong. She loves you and wants to be a part of your life. If I were you I would come to my senses and at least go to see her before you create another Itachi." With that Taku stood up and walked away leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts and an address. For goodness sake Taku was not a wonder woman and she still had a wedding to get ready for. She rushed home and took a quit shower before pulling on the frilly monstrosity that was her dress. Chouji was already there and packing a quick lunch to take on their journey to the Hokage's building where the ceremony would be held.

The day wasn't even half over and it had already been an abnormally long day. The dress was on and they were on their way eating sandwiches very carefully, so they didn't get anything on their formal wear.

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, if you could look past all the glaring pink that is. Taku took the arm of her uncle when it was offered to her and they walked down the aisle to the waiting front. As Taku turned around to stand in the line of bridesmaids she saw Sakura walk out. Sakura was absolutely glowing when she walked to the front of the chapel. By the time the kiss came around, Taku had a tear rolling down her cheek, not from the words said but from the meaning behind them. These two people were standing hand in hand in front of everyone giving their hearts to each other, and promising to love one another for the rest of their mortal lives.

They were at the reception and the part that Taku had been dreading, the toasts. She had to stand and do hers first. "Sakura and Sasuke have stood before you today and shared a piece of their souls with us. This is the most important day in a woman's life, the day we dream of from the time we are old enough to play dress up. Sakura I just hope your wedding day has measured up to your fantasies and that the life this bring will surpass all your dreams." The champagne flutes were touched together and then Naruto stood up and cleared his throat.

"What can I say, I have been on a team with these two people since I was twelve years old. I remember a time not so long ago when Sakura ran around after a Sasuke that completely snubbed her. To be perfectly honest for a while I thought Sasuke was gay, he never showed any interest at all in the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, after Hinata of course hee hee. Anyway, Sakura get ready to have at least ten babies Sasuke has a clan to rebirth." After making sure Sakura was as pale as she could get Naruto got serious, "Remember both of you, you started a new family today, and family is the most important thing in the world. It teaches you where you come from and where your going. Family supports you and cares for you when no one else will. Your family is everything when you feel like you have nothing, so cherish it forever."

The rest of the night went smoothly and Chouji and Taku were walking home together alone when he did something that completely surprised her. He dropped down on one knee in the middle of the street and asked her to marry him. Taku had tears running down her cheeks and she grabbed on to Chouji with all she had in her. "Yes Chouji, I love you and I thought you would never ask."


End file.
